


Zianourry One-Shots

by NatLannister



Category: One Direction
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-02
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-03-16 00:34:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 106,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3467795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatLannister/pseuds/NatLannister
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zianourry One-shots mostly Niall centric.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Fall (Niall Centric)

**Author's Note:**

> A great day for the one direction changes in a blink of an eye. What will the boys do when a perfect day is ruined when one of the one direction boys have to go to the hospital.

Niall Horan woke up to the blinding light of the sun through the shades of his window. Sighing he closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. The rhythm of his boyfriends breathing almost, put the little Irishman back to sleep when suddenly the alarm went off.

Liam shot up from bed and darted to the bathroom before Zayn could. Zayn takes forever in the bathroom trying to fix his hair in the morning. The curly haired boy sat up, stretching rolling his eyes at his boyfriends

"Liam open the door, I need to fix my hair," Zayn yelled as he banged on the door.

This was going to be a long day Niall thought.

Once the boys were dressed they sat down for breakfast. Louis smiled evilly as he poured the milk all over Harry's head. Harry screamed and the two boys began chasing each other around the hotel. The blonde Irish boy continued to eat his cereal hoping to finish his food before they had to leave for the concert.

"Guys please calm down. Harry get off of Louis. Hey save some of that action for the rest of us" Liam said as he got up from the table.

"Hey we have to leave for the concert soon so I suggest you eat," Zayn replied as he came out of the bathroom with his hair perfect.

Zayn walked over to Niall and planted a kiss on his lips before he sat down next to his Irish lover. Liam watched with a hint of jealousy in his eyes as he walked over and grabbed Niall by the face and pulled him in for a rougher kiss. Unlike Zayn's which was a little peck without tongue, Liam was shoving his tongue into Niall's mouth. Their tongues intertwined and both boys felt butterflies in their stomachs. After what seemed like ages the boys slowly pulled away from each other to breath. Liam smiled at Zayn as he went back to his seat. At this point Louis and Harry finally sat down to have some breakfast. Harry began pouring cereal when Niall began to laugh. And as everyone knows, when Niall starts laughing everyone has to join in because his little laugh is so contagious. The boys laughed for about five minutes before Niall had to stop because he had tears streaming down his face.

"I love you guys. I wouldn't want to change any of this for the world," Niall said as he looked at each of the boys. They might be goof balls and immature, but they were his goofy boyfriends. The boys cooed in response.

Louis went up to Niall and took his hand and whispered "I love you too Niall. You guys are the best thing to ever happen to me. Niall you are beyond perfect to me."

Niall blushed as Louis kissed his hand.

"Thanks babe" Niall said.

"If you two love birds are done, I think it's time we head over to the concert," Liam told Niall and Louis.

The boys headed out of the hotel to the car careful not to hold hands or be too obvious. See they were afraid to come out to the world that they were dating. Management told them to keep their love a secret incase the boys were not accepted. Liam wanted to tell the fans, though that they were dating. Louis and Zayn agreed with Liam, but Harry and Niall were hesitant. Niall feared rejection and getting hate and Harry just wanted to keep his little Nialler happy.

It was no secret that the one direction boys were very protective of Niall. He was far too innocent for his own good. He was kinda the baby of the group even though Harry is the youngest. Walking through the crowd the of fans to get in the car the boys put Niall in the middle to keep him safe. Harry and Zayn behind him and Louis and Liam in front of him. Liam kept turning around to make sure his baby Niall was still there. Harry help onto Niall's hand as they walked to the car not caring what people said. Zayn watched the paparazzi making sure none of them touched his Niall again. Louis cleared the path for the boys making sure the area did not get too crowded because of Niall's claustrophobia.

Once the boys reached the car they piled in. Zayn pulled Niall on his lap and began planting kisses up and down his neck. Niall moaned which made Zayn smirk as he continued to kiss the boy's neck. Louis and Harry began snogging in the back of the van. Liam rolled his eyes and covered his eyes when heard lots of sucking and moaning from the back. He turned his attention to Niall and Zayn and joined in kissing up Niall's arm. The boys loved giving Niall lots of love because he was their baby. What seemed like only a couple seconds they arrived at the venue. Guess time flies by when a person is making out with their boyfriends.

Harry and Louis fixed their clothes and hair climbing out of the van.

"You have a little something on your chin Harry," Liam said as he licked his thumb and wiped the spot away.

Harry and Liam began leaning in closer their lips about to touch when Louis busted into the center receiving kisses on both his cheeks. Liam and Harry glared at Louis as he smiled shyly.

"What I can't get a little love from my boyfriends," Louis sasses.

"Yea you can" Zayn replied, pulling Louis by the shirt to meet his lips.

"Boys can you please do this inside what if you get caught. You are lucky there is no paparazzi around," Paul the boys' manager scolded at the boys.

Sighing in defeat one direction walked inside the place where they would be performing. Niall began jumping up and down in excitement. They might play a show every day but Niall gets excited for every single one of them. Liam smiled, watching Niall jump around. He really did love that boy. Zayn too stopped looking around the venue to observe the Irishman run up and down the stage. The happiness and innocence on his face made the boys fall in love with Niall all over again.

Harry hopped up on the stage to join his boyfriend. They held hands running around the stage. Louis attempted to jump on stage, but missed landing on his butt as he hit the floor. He let out a pained moan before he stood up. Zayn came up behind Louis to make sure he was alright. The rest of the boys pointed and laughed at Louis. Once Louis passed Zayn's test Zayn began to laugh. Louis huffed in embarrassment and his cheeks turned red. Liam smiling picked up Louis and put him on stage. Before letting go tough Liam pinched Louis's butt making the boy jump in his arms. Liam winked at the boy while he climbed on stage. Zayn got up with ease and felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Tag. Your it Zayn" Niall yelled, running away from his confused boyfriend.

Liam and Louis met eyes before they both took off away from Zayn. Harry tripped trying to escape from his boyfriend and started to fall backwards. Waiting to hit the ground Harry was surprised he didn't feel any pain. Suddenly he felt two strong arms wrap around his waist.

"Your it" Zayn whispered seductively in Harry's ear.

Harry shivered, feeling Zayn's hot breath on his neck. Zayn was sometimes too sexy for Harry to handle. The boy that was now tagged looked around for his boyfriends. Niall was trying to hide behind a ramp giggling as he tried to stay hidden. Liam and Louis were somewhere, probably off snogging each other. And Zayn was way too far up the stage for Harry to catch him. Harry ran towards Niall knowing the boy could not get away. Niall screamed when he saw Harry running towards him.

"Nooo! Help Liam. Harry is going to get me." Niall yelled as Harry got closer.

Harry tackled Niall to the ground where he attacked his lover with kisses. Niall saw Harry's hand move to his waist. Suddenly Harry began tickling Niall. The venue filled with Niall's loud laugh and screams.

"Harry stop. I give up." Niall said in between tickles.

With tears running down his face Harry finally let Niall go. Niall sat up and wiped his eyes glaring at Harry.

"Uncalled for Harry. The game was tag not tickle your boyfriend until he cries" Niall signed.

"But I like hearing your laugh," Harry replied with an innocent look in his eyes.

"We all like hearing your laugh babe," Liam said with Louis nodding beside him as they appeared from behind the stage.

Zayn ran up to the boys and told them "Make up is ready for us. Time to get ready for the concert boys".

Walking hand and hand the boyfriends made their way to make up and styling. Harry got a bad feeling sitting in the make-up chair. Pacing back and forth in the dressing room before the concert he confronted Louis.

"I have a bad feeling about tonight, Lou," Harry said.

Louis stared at Harry knowing his bad feelings usually came true. "Hopefully you're wrong because we are on in 5 minutes," Louis replied.

"Places boys. Places." Paul yelled to the boys.

One direction heard the introduction end and made their way to the stage. Harry's bad feeling intensified as he walked towards the stage.


	2. The Fall Part 2 (Niall Centric)

The concert was going great. Harry's bad feeling seemed to have gone away. One Direction were getting on the platform to perform Diana when the feeling hit Harry again. Panic filled Harry as he looked over at his boyfriends. Louis and him locked eyes and then the music started for the song.

Liam stood at the far end of the platform looking down at the ground. They were probably 15 feet away from the stage. It never crossed the boys minds how painful it would be to fall off the platform. That could never happen, Liam thought to himself because railings surrounded the boys. Zayn smiled to himself hearing Liam sing his solo. Louis was dancing around with Harry. Niall was grooving out on his guitar next to Liam. All the boys were happy and having a blast. Everything seemed to going great but all that was about to change.

Zayn watched an object fly by his face. He turned to glaring at the direction the object came from. Time seemed to slow down for Liam. He was dancing with Niall and having a good time when he saw a baseball come soaring towards an unsuspecting Niall. Fear engulfed Liam when he heard the the ball smack Niall right in the middle of his head. Harry turned around when he heard Niall moan out in pain. The blonde rocked back and forth blood beginning to run down his face. Suddenly the boy fell backwards over the railing.

"NIALL", The boys all yelled at the same time running to the railing.

Zayn ran with his arms stretched hoping to catch his love before he hit the ground. Niall was out of Zayn's grasp when the boys reached the railing. Tears began forming in Harry's eyes before Niall even connected with the ground. The boy's guitar hit the ground first breaking in half shooting out splinters toward the audience. The crowd of girl stared in awe and shock as their idol fell. Louis watched Niall smack the stage with a sickening crunch. Blood seeped around Niall and he was not moving. Harry at this point was sobbing on the ground a complete mess as the platform slowly went back down to ground level. Zayn was filled with rage. How could someone throw anything at Niall? He didn't even want to think about Niall because he would end up just like Harry. Zayn picked up the ball and exmined it and saw the fan had written on it. It said I love you guys please call this numer. Zayn threw the ball on the ground. He was pissed how could a fan think throwing a ball on stage would get their attention. Liam's protective mode began to set in. He jumped over the railing when they were three feet from the ground to get to his boyfriend. Louis felt lost and completely useless. He was the oldest. He should have protected Niall better. Louis blamed himself and was having guilt eat him up.

Liam reached the fallen Niall first. All Liam could see was red. He kneeled down next to Niall and instantly felt his knees get warm and sticky. Looking down he saw he was kneeling in Niall's blood.

"Don't worry Niall I'm here. I'll protect you. You just have to be okay. I can't live without you Ni", Liam whispered to Niall grabbing the boy's hand to check for a pulse. Relief spread across his face when he found a faint pulse at least Niall was still breathing.

Zayn arrived next standing on the other side of Niall.

"Should we turn him over Liam" Zayn asked.

"No what if he broke something. Leave him." Liam replied.

"We need to turn his head or he could drown in his blood." Zayn said before he gently moved Niall's head to his lap.

Niall's breath came out raspy and constricted. It was hurting the boy to breath. Paul and security were running across the stage towards the boys. Paul saw Harry still in the platform hysterically crying and Louis staring at the ground with a blank face. The manager was scared to turn in Niall's direction but he had too. Bracing himself for the worst he turned his head and stopped breathing. A pool of blood surrounded the irishman. His hair was covered in blood and sticking to his head. The white shirt Niall was wearing was now red and clinging to the boy's skin.

Reaching Liam and Zayn, Paul panted "I called an ambulance they will be here in a couple minute. We need to move Niall off the stage and outside so the ambulance can bring him straight to the hospital."

The boys nodded their heads at Paul and went to pick up Niall. Zayn gently picked up Niall and held him bridal style. Harry cried even more seeing Niall appear so lifeless. The blonde hung limply in Zayn's strong arms. Niall's head hung off of Zayn and blood was trickling out of his mouth and his arm dangled freely. Harry never thought he would see his Niall in this form. Niall was supposed to be smiling and full of life instead of lifeless and bloody.

Zayn walked to the end of the stage with Liam hot on his tail. Liam kept talking to Niall hoping the boy would show any sign of being able to hear him. Paul put his arm around Harry and saw his vision was becoming blurry. Tears glistened on Paul's face. The boys were like sons to him and never wanted to see any of them get hurt especially Niall. Harry and Paul ran after Zayn. Louis was left alone on the stage with the same blank expression.

The boys made it outside and impatiently waited for the ambulance to arrive. Zayn looked behind him to see Niall left a trail of blood. He stroked Niall's head and kissed his forehead.

"Where is Louis", Liam asked angrily.

"Last I saw him he was still on stage," Paul answered.

"Can you go get him Liam?" Harry whimpered.

Liam looked at Harry whose eyes were puffy and red from all the crying. Snot ran down his face and his breathing was irregular due to his constant sobbing.

"Fine I'll go get him", mumbled Liam.

Louis sank to the stage his eyes wandering over to where Niall used to be. The fans were shrieking and crying not sure what to do. Everything happened too fast. Many were beginning to leave but Louis still sat on the stage not moving. He now stared at the puddle of Niall's blood which was starting to dry and harden. The boy could not make his body get up and move. He wanted to see Niall but his body wouldn't let him.

"Hey! Why are you still out here", Liam yelled at Louis.

Louis didn't answer but just continued to stare of Niall's blood.

"Louis snap out of it. Harry needs you, Niall needs you...I need you Lou," Liam whispered softly.

"I don't understand why you guys even like I shouldn't even be part of the band. It should have been me Liam. Why Niall. I'm the oldest I swore to protect you guys but I failed. I am a good for nothing boyfriend. I'm useless," Louis whailed.

Louis finally allowed himself to cry he felt the salty tears stream down his face. He could not bring himself to look at Liam. Louis sensed Liam's hand touching his chin. Slowly Liam brought up Louis's head so they could look each other in the eyes. Louis looked broken when Liam met eyes with his boyfriend. Liam pulled Louis in for a hug and soon Louis was sobbing into Liam's shoulder. Liam rubbed the boy's back.

"It's not your fault Lou. None of us expected a fan to throw a baseball at us. You need to calm down. We have to be there for Niall. Louis every single one of us loves you. You are not useless. We all feel that way right now. Do you know how useless I feel. Seeing Niall so unlifelike broke me. This is no one's fault. Now come on we need to go see our boyfriends. We need to be strong for Harry and Zayn. Okay?" Liam whispered.

Louis quietly nodded his head using his shirt to wipe away his tears. Liam took his hand and they ran outside hoping they hadn't missed the ambulance.

Louis looked at the ground and saw Niall's blood every couple of steps. The boy felt his heart break a little after every step. Liam squeezed his hand and they continued forward. Louis heard Liam sniff a couple of times and knew Liam was hurting on the inside. He was trying to be strong for the others and Louis knew it wouldn't last much longer. Opening the door the boys were greeted to the starry sky and the sound of Harry's wails. Louis let go of Liam's hand and darted over to Harry. The curly haired boy collapsed into Louis's arms and both boys began bawling.

The sound of sirens filling the air made Zayn look away from Niall. The blonde was looking more pale than usual. Zayn tried to stop the bleeding by holding his shirt on Niall's head. Normally a shirtless Zayn would have all the boys go crazy over him but right now none of them were looking at each other.

"Hang on Ni. You have to hang on for me", Zayn begged as the ambulance pulled up.

The workers took Niall from Zayn and put the pale boy in the ambulance.

"One of you guys can ride with us to the hospital. Make up your minds quick because we need to leave now," the worker said as he ran to the car.

The boys met eyes and silently agreed for Zayn to go with Niall. He seemed to be the most sane boyfriend at the moment. Zayn nodded and started towards the ambulance. He hopped in the back and watched Liam, Louis, and Harry from inside. The door slammed shut and his boyfriends became a speck in the distance as they rushed to the hospital. Zayn held Niall's hand the whole ride to the hospital and whispered words of encouragement and love.

"Boys get in the van we are heading to the hospital right now" Paul shouted at the three weeping boys when the black van pulled up.

The car ride was silent except for the occasional sniffle. Each boy were in their own world thinking about Niall. Harry hoped the doctor was going to tell them Niall was going to be perfectly fine. He imagined taking Niall home from the hospital. Harry imagined Niall's laugh and smile but was then reminded on the absence of the laugh and smile. He could never picture a life without hearing Niall laugh everyday and he didn't want to. Liam kept reliving the moment Niall fell backwards off the stage. The way Niall's eyes rolled into the back of his head. Liam just wanted his Niall to be okay. Louis kept seeing his boyfriend lying in the pool of his own blood. He tried to picture Niall from morning but his thoughts kept wandering back to Niall covered in blood.

Arriving at the hospital the boys ran in searching for Zayn. Hopefully he had answers about how Niall was doing. Harry and Louis decided to go search for a doctor that would know about Niall's condition. Liam spotted Zayn sitting alone in the waiting room. He was hunched over his head was in hands and he was crying. Liam's heart beated faster each step he took towards Zayn. Was this it? Was Liam about to find out Niall is dead? He felt the tears begin pouring down his face. The boy reached out and put his hand on Zayn's shoulder. Zayn looked up with bloodshot eyes and a wobbly lip.

"What happened Zayn?" Liam asked.

Zayn took a few deep breath before he replied " Well in the ambulance I held Niall's hand and he seemed fine but then he just stopped breathing. The people had to use the automated external defibrillator to get him breathing again. Liam I was petrified. Niall could have died and their was nothing I could do about it. It was the worst feeling."

"You were very brave Zayn.", Liam said sitting down next to Zayn.

Zayn leaned against Liam and put his head on Liam's shoulder.

"They rushed Niall back to get scans to see if he has any internal bleeding or broken bones. Do you think he will be alright Liam?" Zayn asked.

"I'm not sure babe but we can hope." Liam signed.

Harry and Louis walked into the waiting room with grim faces. Behind them a doctor appeared holding a clipboard with paper which Liam assumed was about Niall. Standing up Liam held out his hand for Zayn to grab as they walked over to Harry and Louis.

Louis looked over at his boyfriends and took a deep breath and asked "Do you have any news about Niall."

The boys braced themselves for the doctor's response. Harry squeezed Louis's hand and could feel the tears ready to burst out at any moment.

"Well I have good and bad news boys. The good is we did a scan of Niall and he was no internal bleeding. We stitched Niall's head up so hopefully he won't be bleeding anymore. His ankle broke when he fell so we wrapped it up. He had other cuts on his body that we stitched up but nothing as bad as the cut on his head. Now onto the bad news. We need Niall to wake up in order to tell how bad he hit his head. I'm need to figure out if he has a concussion. Usually if a person gets a concussion they aren't supposed to sleep because they might not wake back up. We really need Niall to wake up or else he might never wake. I'll let you know when you boys can go visit him. Now if you excuse me I have other patients." the doctor put blatantly as he walked out of the waiting room.

One direction stood in silence as they let the news settle in. Harry might not see Niall's blue eyes again or see his beautiful smile. Liam who was trying so hard to be strong finally sunk to the floor letting the tears spill down his face. He got into the fetal position and began rocking back and forth. Why did this happen to Niall? It was not fair. Louis could not stand watching his boyfriends fall apart. He took off running to the bathroom and locked himself inside the large stall and started to bawl his eyes out. Louis never cried this hard ever in his whole entire life. He punched the stall hoping it would help take away some of the pain. Zayn walked back over to the chairs and sat down staring blankly at the ground.

10 minutes later the same doctor came out and told Zayn they could visit Niall. Zayn walked over to Liam and lifted him up carrying a weeping Liam towards Niall's room.

"Harry can you please go get Louis? I saw him run to the bathroom. Do you think you can do it?" asked Zayn.

Harry stood up and walked to the bathroom. Standing outside he heard Louis crying and he felt his heart break a little.

Opening the door Harry whimpered "Lou the doctors are letting us visit Niall. If you want to come see him you have to come out of the bathroom."

Harry heard the lock in the stall move and watched Lou emerge from the bathroom.

"Come on babe," Harry said as he held out his hand.

Louis gladly took it and they headed over to Niall's room.

Entering the room Harry felt his breath leave him. Louis gasped beside him. They saw their boyfriend Niall hooked up to machine with tubes coming out of his face and arms. He was unrecognizable. The member the boys swore to protect was the one lying in a hospital bed. The constant beeping of the heart monitor kept Liam calm and stopped him from going back into the fetal position. As long as Niall's heart continued to beat there was hope. Liam sat on the right side of Niall and Zayn on the left. Each one was holding their lovers hand. Harry sat down at the end of the bed and looked at Niall's feet. One foot was wrapped in a cast and the other was bruised. Louis sat on Zayn's lap and kissed Niall's hand.

"We are all here Niall. Can you please just open up those beautiful blue eyes again. Come on Ni you can't leave us." Louis uttered as he put his head in Zayn's chest to cry.

"Maybe we should sing for Niall", Harry suggested.

"Good idea babe", Liam responded.

After debating for a short period of time the boys began singing Little Things. Niall loved that song. Once they reached Niall's solo the boys stopped singing and looked at their boyfriend. Harry hopped by some miracle that Niall would wake up and sing his part of the song. Feeling dejected Harry put his hand down on Niall's bed and closed his eyes. The boys all eventually fell asleep. They were exhausted from all the crying they had been doing for the past couple of hours.

Niall woke up to the light seeping through the blinds. He heard the breathing of his boyfriends and knew he was safe. He looked down and realized he was not in his bed. Panic seized the boy as he looked over at his boyfriends. Why was he in the hospital? Why did Niall's head feel like he was hit with a train. He exhaled louding not realizing he was holding his breath. He touched his head and found he had tubes going into his nose. What happened he thought. Niall shifted in his bed and Zayn's eyes shot open.

"Niall, you're awake. I was so scared you would never wake up. I thought you were going to leave me", Zayn whimpered.

"Zayn I'm not going anywhere" Niall said lovely interlocking his fingers with Zayn's.

Liam could have sworn he heard Niall's voice but he feared getting his hopes up. Slowly he cracked up his eyes ready to face the defeat that Niall was not awake. Instead he was greeted with Niall's smiling face. Liam quickly stood up and wrapped his arms around Niall kissing every inch of his face. All the commotion Liam made woke Louis and Harry up.

"Morning boys" Niall cheered.

Harry sat up looking wide awake as he stared at awe. His Niall was alive and smiling.

"Niall. You're okay. I was so worried I would never get to hear your laugh again", Harry exclaimed running to Niall who had his arms open.

Harry jumped into his boyfriend's arms and felt happy for the first time in hours.

"Ni can I hear your laugh. I missed it so much," questioned Harry with his big brown eyes.

"Sure Harry but you need to do something funny. Tell a joke." Niall responded.

"Okay. Let me think. Alright I have the perfect joke. What did one toilet say to the other toilet?", Harry said with a smile on his face.

"What", Niall asked rolling his eyes.

"You look flushed", Harry answered.

Niall's laughter filled the room when Harry finished the joke. All the boys joined in laughing each happy the stress of possibly losing Niall was washed away. The room seemed to have filled with more light. All evidence of the breakdowns and crying were gone now that Niall was okay. Zayn left the room to get the doctor and Liam and Harry went to get breakfast for the boys at the cafeteria. Louis stayed with Niall hoping to talk to him privately.

"I failed you Ni", Louis declared.

Niall's eyes darted up to look at Louis when he asked "What do you mean."

"I'm the oldest I am supposed to protect you and make sure nothing bad happens to you." Louis murmured.

"Lou you did nothing wrong. I love you. Please don't blame yourself. You are the best boyfriend and I could never ask for anything more." Niall assured.

Niall pulled Louis in for a kiss and all seemed to be forgotten. Louis forgave himself and took on the job of taking care of Niall. The doctor allowed Niall to leave the hospital after a couple of hours. Niall had a concussion, was bruised all over, and had a broken leg but other than that he was fine. Paul gave one direction a month off to take care of Niall and relax. The boys were now more protective of Niall never letting him out of their sight. The boy didn't mind though he loved having Zayn, Liam, Harry, and Louis fuss over him. Everything went back to normal with the boyfriends as Niall began to heal.

"I love you guys" Niall giggled from the bed.

"We love you too Ni", Liam exclaimed.

Niall knew everything was going to be fine as he laid back down in his bed next to his four amazing boyfriends.

"Goodnight", Niall whispered.


	3. Football Accident (Louis Centric)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are playing a fun game of football until one of them gets injured.

“Lou”, Niall whined falling on top of Louis who was relaxed on the couch in the hotel “I’m bored let’s do something.” 

Rolling his eyes Louis grabbed Niall and moved the blonde to his lap. Sighing Louis asked his boyfriend “What do you want to do Ni?” Scrunching up his face in thought Niall hummed thinking of an idea. Louis watched Niall try to concentrate because it was adorable. Squealing in excitement Niall jumped off of Louis and exclaimed “Let’s go play outside.” Niall put on a puppy dog face that Louis could never say no to. “I’ll go get the others” Niall yelled in excitement running upstairs to the boy’s bedroom.

Next thing Lou knew he was outside with all the other boys. The boys were standing at the back of the hotel which was just a grassy field. Harry was in the middle of making lunch when Niall practically dragged him outside. Liam was listening to music trying to relax on the boys’ day off, but the Irishman had other plans in mind. Zayn was sleeping and still not fully awake as he stood blocking the sunlight from his eyes. 

“Ni, why did you drag us all out here,” Zayn grumbled rubbing his eyes. He was starting to feel more awake. 

Looking down at his face Niall swayed back and forth biting his lip before mumbling “I just wanted to spend my day off with my boyfriends. You guys seemed to be in your own world and I just kinda felt left out.” 

Throwing up his arms in frustration knowing he couldn’t say no to Niall especially when he bit his lip “Well looks like we shall be playing outside than today.”

Liam and Harry agreed with Zayn smiles starting to spread on their faces. Liam could not remember the last time he was outside doing anything really. 

Louis waited for one the boys to suggest an activity to do together. After a few moments of an awkward silence Louis spoke up “How about we play some football labs.”

“Perfect” Harry yelled jumping up and down with Niall.

“Sounds good to me” Liam chimed in. Zayn simply nodded his head. 

Louis split the boys into teams 2 teams. Team one consisted of Harry and Louis. Team two had Niall, Liam, and Zayn. Harry insisted that he and Lou should be skins. So now Lou stood in a field with no shirt on feeling his chest begin to burn. Harry only wanted to be shirtless to show off his tattoos and to stare at Louis chest. 

Harry passed Louis the ball and he made his way across the field. Zayn came forward first and Louis easily spun around the boy. Maybe Zayn was still half asleep Louis thought to himself as he continued forward. Liam dove for the ball so Louis kicked the ball to Harry. Niall intercepted and scored putting team two in the lead. 

Liam brushed the grass off of him running towards Niall with open eyes. “Great shot Ni” Liam exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Niall’s waist. He spun the blonde around who screamed in glee. Zayn high fived Niall before slapping the Irishman on the butt. Niall shot a look at Zayn who looked back with a completely innocent face.

Harry pulled Louis aside and yelled, “Team huddle”. Harry checked to make sure the others weren’t listening and whispered to Lou “We can’t let them beat us or you and I will never hear the end of it from Liam. Go to the goal and I’ll pass you the ball.” Louis nodded at Harry and ran back onto the field.

Liam passed the ball to Harry, who immediately took off running down the field. Liam was too slow to catch Harry and Zayn was to half asleep to care. Louis was passed the ball and he turned to shot the goal. Niall dived toward Louis hit foot out ready to kick the ball away from his boyfriend. The foot, though did not connect with the ball. 

Louis heard a loud pop before he fell over in pain grasping his ankle. Looking at his ankle he saw it begin to bruise and swell up. Feeling tears begin to cloud his vision Louis quickly wiped them away. Harry reached his fallen boyfriend first. Gently lowering his hands to Louis now swollen ankle Harry asked “Do you think you can walk home or should we have Liam carry you.”

Knowing he could not walk home Louis shook his head feeling his tears fly loose. Liam jogged over and picked up Lou bridal style and ran back to the hotel. Zayn was now wide awake hearing his boyfriend moan in pain. He stayed right next to Liam grabbing the door and running inside to get ice for Louis’s ankle. Harry ran in behind Liam holding onto Louis’s hand gently rubbing it and telling him soothing words. Niall walked behind his boyfriends letting the guilt eat him up. He was the one who hurt Lou. The Irishman was ashamed of himself. 

Liam slowly lowered Louis to the couch stepping away so Zayn could ice the ankle. Harry brought over water for Lou to drink.

“Thanks guys. Can someone get me some pain medication, please.” Louis grunted. Sweat covered his forehead from the pain. Liam picked up the phone saying “I’m calling a doctor to come look at your ankle.” The boys nodded their heads acknowledging Liam. Out in the hallway Liam could be heard on the phone.

“How bad does it hurt” Zayn whispered, putting a cool washcloth on Louis’s head. 

“Not as bad as before, but still hurts like hell” Louis replied breathing in and out trying to ignore the throbbing coming from his ankle. 

Harry held his arms open asking “You want to cuddle Lou.”

Lou leaned into Harry’s arms and they lay together on the couch. Zayn ran his hands through Louis’s knotting and sweaty hair. Humming quietly to himself to try to help Louis fall asleep. After a couple of minutes Zayn heard the familiar sound of Louis’s snores.

“I’m going to find Ni”, Zayn whispered, getting up from the couch. Harry watched his boyfriend hoping Niall wasn’t blaming himself to harshly. Liam returned and sat on the floor in front of Lou “The doctor is on his way Lou” Liam whispered. Liam watched Louis sleep, smiling to see how peaceful his boyfriend looked.

Zayn ran up and down the hallways in the hotel looking for Niall. He finally found the boy sitting in the lobby crying to himself. Zayn looked down at the weeping boy in pity. “Ni its not your fault” Zayn cooed.

“Yes it is”  
“No its not”  
“I was the one who made everyone go outside and the one who kicked his ankle.”

Zayn didn’t know how to respond to help his crying boyfriend. He put his hand on the irishman’s shoulder and squeezed it.

“What if Louis hates me now” Niall wept.  
“That could never happen Ni. Not in a million years. Now do you want to go upstairs and check on your boyfriend or wallow in your own self pity?” Zayn asked holding out his hand.

Niall gladly accepted Zayn’s hand. With their fingers intertwined the 2 boys headed back upstairs. Niall felt his heart beat faster. He was scared to see Lou. What if Louis was mad at him? Niall took a deep breath before going inside the room. Louis was awake when Niall walked in and their eyes met.

The blonde was surprised to see that Louis’s eyes were not filled with anger but love instead.  
Louis sat up and croaked “Ni I could never be mad at you. Besides this is not your fault. I don’t blame you whatsoever. Okay. Can I see my favorite smile.” 

Niall tried to smile, but he knew it looked fake. 

“Niall I mean a real smile. Please it will make me feel better”, begged Louis who batted his eyelashes at his boyfriend. A smile slowly spread across the boy’s face. 

Niall laid down on the other side of Louis. The injured boy smiled, he never felt so warm and protected. Liam sat by Louis’s ankle changing the ice packages and Zayn kept rubbing Louis’s hair. Lou was enjoying the babying he was receiving from his boyfriends. He could get used to this cuddling all day and having people wait on his every need. Maybe he should get injured more often Louis thought. 

A knock on the door brought Louis out of his thoughts. He watched Liam open it and a tall doctor walked in. He examined Louis’s ankle and said it was just a sprain. Louis had to rest for a week without moving around. Paul gave the boys the rest of the week off and Louis was babied. 

Harry cooked all of Louis’s favorite meals and sometimes even fed them to him. Liam carried Louis everywhere and Zayn would get anything the injured boy asked for. Niall cuddled Louis all week, making sure the ankle was always elevated. The boys even let Louis pick the movies they would watch. Louis felt like a princess and did not want the week to end. 

“What movie do you want to watch”, Harry yelled to Louis.  
“Batman”, Louis said with a smirk on his face.  
Liam sighed and whined “But we just watched that last night.”  
“Hey who is the one with the injured ankle.” Louis sassed.  
“Fine” Liam sighed carrying Louis to the couch.

Niall giggled bringing Louis a bag of popcorn. Zayn gladly sat down next to Louis and rubbed Lou’s hand. Louis looked at each of his boyfriends feeling his heart fill with love. He smiled to himself, staring at the 4 boys.

“The movie is starting”, Zayn whispered in Louis’s ear.

Louis turned his attention to the movie knowing this would be the last night of babying. The tour would continue tomorrow, but Louis was okay with that because he knew he could face anything with his four boyfriends at his side.


	4. A trip to the Zoo (Niall Centric)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the zoo ends in disaster when Niall isn't feeling well.

Niall woke in the morning with a pounding in his head. Sitting up Niall groaned in pain. He felt like someone was hitting him in the head with a hammer. He saw he was the only one in bed. That surprised Niall usually Zayn and Louis slept the latest. He turned over to check the time. Grabbing his phone, he clicked the button to check the time. He was blinded by the light of the phone and yelped in pain. The light seemed to make his headache ten times worst. Niall fell back on the bed annoyed. His head was killing him and now he felt nauseous. The boy knew leaving bed would probably make him throw up. Maybe sleep would help so Niall closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

Liam sat at the kitchen counter waiting for Harry to finish making breakfast. The boys were planning something special for Niall today. The boy had practically been begging to go to the zoo since their last day off which was 2 months ago. Zayn and Louis reserved the zoo for the day, meaning they would be the only ones in there all day. The two boys actually got up early this morning so they could drive over to the zoo and set up the picnic area. It would be a relaxing day and Liam was so excited. Harry smiled at Liam obviously just as excited as Liam to surprise their sleeping boyfriend.

Harry’s phone buzzed and he saw Louis texted he was on his way. The curly haired boy jumped with glee. Harry couldn’t wait to see Niall’s face. Louis and Zayn busted through the door five minutes later looking very proud of themselves.

“Can we go wake up now”, Louis whined, looking at Liam who kept insisting they let Niall sleep.  
Liam sighed “Fine.”  
“Yay” Louis gleamed running up the stairs to a sleeping Niall.

Zayn stayed right behind Louis pinching the boy on the bum. Louis screamed in delight throwing a look at Zayn.

Louis barged into the dark room and flipped on the light switch. Niall screamed and quickly hid under the blankets. “Lou what do you want” Niall groaned.

Rolling his eyes Louis jumped onto the bed next to Niall “Get up sleepyhead. We have a surprise for you”.

“Just let me sleep” Niall grumbled.

“Not a chance” Zayn chimed in smirking at Louis.

“If you don’t get up Zayn and I will just have to sing like dying cats” Louis sassily replied.

Knowing his head could not handle a screeching Louis and Zayn; Niall quickly responded “Okay I’m up. Give me five minutes and I’ll be downstairs.” Niall waited until he heard his door shut before he shuffled out of bed. Turning off the light Niall knew today was going to be a horrible day.  
He looked in the mirror was blown away by what he saw. Niall was paler than usual and had bags under his eyes. All the movement sent his stomach in a frenzy and next thing Niall knew he was sprawled on the toilet throwing up his dinner. Groaning Niall sat up and went towards the sink and brushed his teeth. His stomach felt a little better, but he knew he shouldn’t push himself. Niall washed his face and put on a pair of baggy shorts and a loose tank top. He grabbed a pair of black sunglasses to block the light and put them while shutting the bathroom door.

“I thought you were never coming down Ni.” Liam remarked with a smile on his face.  
“Yea you said five minutes, but it was more like 15” Louis replied laughing.  
“What’s with the sunglasses Ni?” Zayn questioned.  
“Trying to be cool like Harry” Niall replied. The boys didn’t question the shades again because they thought Niall was trying to be funny. Besides Zayn thought Niall looked really hot in the sunglasses. They gave him a bad boy look and Zayn couldn’t help but feel a little turned on.

Niall gave a sheepish grin and sat down at the table trying to ignore the throbbing in his head. Harry walked over with breakfast and gave Zayn a peck on the lips. Breakfast looked horrendous to Niall. He felt his stomach somersault when he smelled the food. The other boys took the food and dropped it on their plate. They all turned and watched Niall who had yet to touch breakfast. Harry watched Niall and his eyes filled with disappointment and worry. Did Niall not like his cooking?

Breaking the silence Liam asked “Is there something wrong Nialler?”

Niall shook his head no and grabbed a pancake which made Harry smile the worry leaving his face. “Another great meal from the best boyfriend” Louis remarked with a mouthful of pancake and syrup. Zayn rolled his eyes and laughed at how messy Louis was being. The raven hair boy licked his thumb and cleaned some syrup off of Louis’s messy face. “Better?” Zayn asked. “Better Louis moaned.

Niall nibbled at his pancake throwing pieces over his shoulder when the boys weren’t looking. Niall’s boyfriends thought the blonde had eaten 4 pancakes, but really the blonde ate half a piece.

Harry smiled at Niall “You must have been really hungry babe.”  
“Or I just can’t enough of your amazing cooking” Niall remarked feeling his head throb even harder. Why did talking have to hurt too? Niall just couldn’t win.

Liam and Harry cleared the table when the boys finished eating. “So we have a surprise for you Ni.” Liam said excitedly.

Great Niall thought and here I was going to go back upstairs and lay down. Looks like that won’t be happening.  
“Really” Niall exclaimed, trying to act excited.  
“Yup” Louis said, jumping out of his seat.  
Zayn took Louis’s hand in his and said “We rented the local zoo out so we can spend the day there, just the five of us. Isn’t it perfect Ni?’  
“That is perfect” Niall replied, feeling a wave of dread wash over him. He was going to have to walk around outside in the sun all day. His stomach and head won’t be able to handle that, but he couldn’t tell the boys. Telling them would break their little hearts. Niall was just going to have to suck it up because his boyfriends went out of their way to make this surprise. If Niall felt like himself, he would be bursting with excitement. Taking a deep breath Niall pretended to be super delighted and happy about going to the zoo.

The boys seemed to buy Niall’s act because they too started bursting with excitement. One direction piled into a black SUV. Louis sat in the driver’s seat with Harry sitting next to him. Niall was squished in the backseat between Zayn and Liam. The blonde closed his eyes and tried to ignore the worsening pound in his head. Right now his stomach was okay and Niall thought he could make it in the zoo.

“Hey eyes on the road Lou” Liam yelled when he saw Louis try to kiss Harry. Zayn knew they shouldn’t have let Lou drive the car. He always gets distracted. Harry sighed in disappointment moving away from Louis. The boy driving felt a hand run down his leg which, sent shivers down his body. Harry smirked in response and continued to move his hand up and down Lou’s leg.

“We’re going to die” Zayn remarked, watching Harry and Louis. Liam rolled his eyes and looked at Niall.

“Are you feeling alright Ni”, Liam whispered, putting his hand across Niall’s forehead.  
“I’m fine just a little tired. You know, sometimes all that stuff we do at night under the covers can be exhausting” Niall replied, earning a smile from both Liam and Zayn.

Liam fiddled with Niall’s hair until the car pulled up to the zoo. The constant pounding his head seemed to subdue until Niall stepped out of the car. All the pain came back instantly and Niall was thrown back. Zayn caught his boyfriend and looked at him with concern. Niall thinking quickly said “Good job Zayn. You have passed the trust fall test”. Zayn didn’t buy Niall’s response entirely, but choose to let it go.

The zoo let the boys right in. Liam and Harry skipped in holding hands, laughing and giggling at everything. Louis ran in between them breaking apart their hands. Harry shot Lou a look before yelling “You shall pay for that”. Liam and Harry chased after Lou for a few moments before Liam easily caught up to the boy. Liam tackled Louis to the ground and covered his face with wet slobbery kisses.

“Eww stop Liam. You know I hate wet kisses. Uncle. Please stop” Louis screamed, trying to get out of Liam’s grasp.

Liam finally let his boyfriend go and Louis wiped his face with his shirt. Zayn and Harry laughed together watching Louis try to clean his face off. Niall remained silent fighting the urge to curl up into a ball and scream out in pain. The pain was almost too much to bear. He needed to get out of the sunlight and someplace quiet. Niall put on a fake smile and went over to Liam. The boys held hands and walked towards the monkey house.

“Look Louis it’s you” Harry said, pointing at the chimps  
“Haha very funny Styles” Louis remarked.  
“Babe can you even see the monkeys with those sunglasses on” Zayn asked Niall.  
“Yup” Niall responded.

Zayn noticed Niall was not very talkative today. He would only give one word response. The blonde was definitely acting very strange. Zayn was becoming worried about Niall.

“I think I’ve seen enough of Louis’s relative. Are we ready to move on?” Liam asked shooting Louis a smirk.

“You and Harry are both going to get it later” Louis yelled leaving the monkey house. Liam and Harry high fived each other laughing as they pushed open the doors. Zayn followed behind the two boys leaving Niall alone. The blonde breathed in and out trying to prepare himself for the heat and sunlight he was about to face. Niall was miserable, but he was about to ruin his boyfriends’ perfect day. They seemed to be having so much fun. Niall wished he could join them. Niall took one more deep breath and opened the doors, leaving the monkey house.

Niall’s boyfriends were looking at the elephants which were right next to the monkey house.  
“I thought you were going to stay in there all day with Lou and his family” Zayn joked.  
“Really Zayn not you too” Louis gasped.

Zayn shrugged and turned to look at the elephants. Liam put Harry on his shoulders and ran around the boys. “Niall do you want a hop on Liam’s back?” Harry asked, watching Niall stand back by himself.

“No, I’m good” Niall remarked. Not moving any closer to the boys. Harry slid off of Liam’s back and walked over to Niall. He placed his arm around the blonde’s shoulder, which caused the boy to flinch. Harry quickly moved his hand too shocked to ask what was wrong. Niall walked away holding his head. Man Niall has been acting weird today Harry thought while he skipped back to the boys.

Liam, Harry, Zayn, and Louis watched Niall sit on a bench in the shade on the other side of the elephants.

“Niall is acting weird today” Harry mumbled.  
“I know I thought he would be more excited about coming to the zoo” chimed in Liam.  
“Well let’s go to what is wrong with him then. Louis sighed, annoyed “I swear if he just being moody”.

Zayn watched in silence he knew Niall was not being moody. Niall never acts this way. Louis was just annoyed that Niall was not acting excited and thankful.

“Guys I think you are over exaggerating. Niall is never moody or unappreciative” Zayn yelled, hoping Louis would hear him. Zayn didn’t know what Louis was planning, but it wasn’t good.

Niall watched Louis, Harry and Liam come running towards him looking unhappy.   
“What’s wrong Niall is it too hot for you. We wanted to do something special today. All you ever talked about was going to the zoo and now that we’re here all you do is sit on a bench. Next time the boys want to do something nice for you I’ll remind them of how bitchy you were acting at the zoo” Louis huffed angrily walking away.

Tears filled Niall’s vision as he stood to run off. But before he could Liam held out his arm stopping Niall. “I just sometimes don’t understand you Ni. Today was supposed to be a fun day off”. Niall nodded and put down his head, wiping the tears from his eyes.

Niall walked away from the boys when he heard Harry yell “Niall wait.” Niall stopped hoping Harry would make him feel better instead Harry demanded “Give me back my shades. Only my nice boyfriends get to wear them.”

Niall sighed and handed Harry the shades. Once the sunglasses left his face Niall quickly shut his eyes.

“Let’s go check out the Lions” Louis suggested walking in the opposite direction of Niall. Liam and Harry followed Louis leaving Niall who was crying. Zayn was pissed at the three boys. He ran after them to give them a piece of his mind.

Niall heard Zayn run away with the other three and felt his heart breaking. He didn’t know if he was crying because of the pain in his heart or head. Niall collapsed on the ground opening his eyes. Niall threw up again and felt his vision start to get blurry. He felt like his head was going to explode. The blonde tried to stand up and call the boys, but he passed out. Niall lay sprawled out on the ground alone next to the elephants. The sun beat down on the unconscious body of Niall.

Zayn finally caught up with Liam, Louis, and Harry and was pissed and out of breath. “What the hell guys” he screamed, throwing up his arms.  
“What?” Harry asked innocently.  
“Don’t you say what. You know exactly what you did. Louis why did you say those things to him?” Zayn yelled.  
“I don’t know. I think I just frustrated that Niall was not his happy and bubbly self. I wanted today to be perfect.” Louis replied, looking at his feet feeling guilty for what he said to Niall.  
“Niall has never been moody. Were you just trying to make him upset. I’m the moody one guys. I can’t believe you guys right now. You ruined the day. Niall has been acting weird all day. If you were actual good boyfriends you would have noticed. Now if you excuse me, I’m going to go find my boyfriend that you all left crying” Zayn scolded before taking off in the opposite direction.

“I feel like a complete dick” Harry cried wiping tears away that were beginning to fall down his face. Liam ran after Zayn yelling “Niall” as he ran down the path. Harry followed Liam leaving Louis all alone. Lou didn’t understand why he snapped on Niall. Maybe all the monkey jokes had gotten to him and Niall not being himself had finally made Louis snap. Louis ran his hand through his hair as he realized he was the one who ruined their day off. He needed to figure out a way to make it up to Niall. Sighing he ran down the path towards Niall.

Zayn made it to the elephants first. Breathing hard and sweat running down, his face he searched for Niall. He called the boy’s name but then he spotted his leg sticking out. Zayn sucked in his breath as he walked towards Niall.

Niall was pale; vomit lay next to the fallen boy. He was still breathing, which gave Zayn same relief. The boy put his hand on Niall’s forehead and was surprised to find the blonde was burning up. Zayn now knew why Niall had been acting weird all day. The boy heard two sets of feet coming from the path. Zayn stood up and waving his hands and yelling “Over here. Niall passed out.”

Liam reached Niall and Zayn first and fell onto his knees crying. He was daddy direction the one who looked out for the boys. He was the one who was supposed to know if they weren’t feeling well. Harry was now weeping, feeling very guilty. The 3 boys heard Louis yell “Where are you guys?”

Harry cried “Over by the elephants. Hurry Niall passed out.”

Louis appeared next to Niall. “Shit this is all my fault” Louis wept.

“It’s all our faults. We pushed Niall all day. We could see he was distancing himself and we continued to force him to follow us, If it were up to Niall, he would stayed in bed all day like he wanted to this morning. Ni didn’t want to ruin our day so he pushed himself.” Zayn told the boys.

Liam, Harry, and Louis replayed the events of today noticing all the things Zayn pointed out. Guilt was eating away at each boy by now.

Zayn took charge and ordered “Louis go get the car and pull it up front. Harry get a cold washcloth now and Liam help me get Niall to the shade while we wait for Lou.”

Each did what he was told. Louis ran to the car and Harry got a cold bottle of water and a washcloth to put on Niall’s forehead. Liam carried Niall bridal style to the car. The boy hung limply from Liam’s arms. Reaching the car Niall was laid across Zayn and Liam. The blonde’s head rested in Zayn’s lap. The raven hair boy held the washcloth on Niall and gave the boy some water because he didn’t know the last time the blonde had something to drink. Niall coughed swallowing the water, but showed no sign of waking up. The boys made it home and Liam carried the unconscious boy upstairs.

Niall was laid out on the couch. Louis wrapped the blonde in two blankets hoping he would sweat and lower his fever which was 102.4. Niall woke after 20 minutes and threw up all over himself. He called for Zayn but none of the other boys. Zayn carried a crying Niall upstairs to clean him off. Before reaching the stairs Niall looked at the 3 boys and whispered “I’m sorry for ruining your day”. Liam felt his heart break when Niall said that. Harry cried again and Louis felt his mouth drop and hang open. He couldn’t believe Niall thought he ruined their day.

The 3 boys at the bottom of the stairs heard the bathtub get turned on. Harry turned towards the others “I feel so guilty guys. I’m going to go apologize to Ni”.

“Wait. You know how embarrassed he gets when he needs people to take care of him. Let’s apologize tonight not when he is covered in puke.” Liam suggested sitting down on the couch, putting his head in his hands. Harry nodded and sat next to Liam resting his head on the boy’s shoulder. Louis waited at the bottom of the stairs. He needed to talk to Niall now.

Zayn scrubbed Niall’s hair with shampoo and washed the dirt, sweat, and vomit off his boyfriend. “Thanks Zaynie” Niall mumbled.  
“It’s no problem Ni. I’m sorry of how I acted today.”  
“You did nothing wrong.”  
“Yes I did. I watched the others say those mean things to you and left you to chase after them. I let them force you to go to the zoo. And I’m sorry Ni. I really am. Please forgive.”  
“Zayn I was never mad at you or the others to begin with. I’m sorry for ruining our day off though.”  
“Don’t say that it’s not your fault” Zayn said cupping Niall’s head.

Niall nodded and wiped the tears falling down from his eyes. Zayn dried Niall off and carried the sick boy to the bathroom. Dressing him in pj’s, he laid Niall in bed and tucked him in. Zayn sang Niall asleep and kissed the boy on the forehead before leaving the bedroom.

“How is he” Louis questioned Zayn as he walked down the steps.  
“He’s sleeping” Zayn responded.

Louis ran upstairs and opened the door to watch Niall. He smiled, watching his boyfriend sleep; he looked so peaceful and happy. Louis climbed into bed with Niall and cuddled with his boyfriend.

“Is he mad at us?” Harry asked.  
Zayn sighed and answered “No, Niall was afraid you were mad at him for ruining your day off.”

Liam chuckled “That is Niall for you. With a fever and everything and he is worried that we are mad at him. God I love that boy.”

Harry gave a sad smile, his eyes were red and puffy. Zayn patted Harry’s head and pulled the boy in for a hug. “Niall doesn’t blame you guys for anything.” Zayn whispered rubbing Harry’s back.

Niall woke up to Louis staring right at him. The blonde felt himself blushing while he stuttered “I’m sorry about today…” Louis cut off Niall saying “You have nothing to be sorry about. I should be the one sorry. I am so sorry I snapped at you Ni. None of what I said was true. I was just being a dick. I am so so so sorry. And I hope you can forgive me.”

Niall smiled teased “How’s this for forgiven” and then he pulled Louis in for a kiss. Niall opened his mouth, allowing Louis’s tongue to come into his mouth. Their tongue intertwined. Niall moaned when Louis pulled away. Both boys sat together smiling.

“Let’s take you downstairs. I know Liam and Harry are dying to see you” Louis proposed.  
“Do you think they are mad at me” Niall asked, hiding in Louis’s shoulder as the boy walked down the stairs.

Louis laughed and yelled “Hey Liam and Harry are you mad at Niall for getting sick on our day off and for passing out without asking. It’s like who does this boy think he is. Passing out and making his boyfriends worry sick over him.”

Niall laughed when Louis finished talking. Lou dropped Niall into Liam’s lap. The blonde snuggled up on Liam and the boy whispered “I’m so sorry Ni”.

“I know and I forgive you. Can we just let it go? Harry stop hiding and come out. I’m not mad I just want to see my boyfriend”, Niall commanded. Harry flopped down next to Niall. The blonde kissed Harry on the cheek and the curly hair boy felt all the guilt leave him. Niall was okay and not mad and Harry was ecstatic.

The five boys squeezed on the couch and put on a movie. Niall laid across the boys and was given tons of love and attention. The blonde fell asleep halfway through the movie and the 4 boys watched him sleep. Niall was adorable and the boys cooed when he snored. No one was even paying attention to the movie.

“Want to head upstairs” Liam asked.

The 3 boys nodded their heads so they headed upstairs. Niall was put in the center and Liam and Zayn laid on the other side of the blonde. Louis laid next to Liam but held onto Niall’s hand all night. Harry snuggled into Zayn, but put his arm around Niall. The blonde felt safe and happy with his boys. Maybe their day off had not been so bad after all.


	5. Just One More Drink(Niall Centric)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can you do one where Niall gets lose and something terrible happens and the lads find him all beaten and broken and they take him hospital and when he wakes up he is scared but won't tell the lads until something happens and then he brakes and tells them

Harry exhaled a long breath before snuggling up on the couch next to Louis. The boys were staying the night in watching a movie. One direction had a day off and just wanted some time to chill and relax. Zayn entered the room in sweatpants and a loose top ready to have a night to hang with his four boyfriends. He sat next to Harry. Liam came strutting in holding the movie, which to Louis’s disappointment was a romantic comedy.

“Why couldn't we get Kick-Ass 2?” Louis whined.  
“Because Harry wanted The Best of Me. And besides Lou, you picked the last movie” Liam sassed.

Louis glared at Harry. Harry shot a sheepish smile and laid his head on Louis’ chest.

“Ni, get out here. We are going to start the movie soon” Liam yelled, putting the disk in the player.

The four boys heard the bedroom door open and saw Niall appear in the hallway. The blonde was wearing a pair of tight black ripped jeans and a white shirt that hugged his body perfectly. Zayn moaned seeing Niall wearing such tight clothing. The blonde’s hair was slicked back, giving him an edgy look. Harry and Liam were turned on staring at their hot boyfriend.

“Niall who are you so dressed up for the movie. Are you trying to have sexy time a little early tonight” Lou questioned moaning slightly.

Niall rolled his eyes at his boyfriends and replied “Guys don’t you remember I’m going out with Josh tonight.”

“But it’s movie night” Harry whined putting on a puppy dog face.

“I know but I haven’t hung out with Josh in a while and it’s only for a couple of hours.” Niall explained.

“Fine be back soon and stay safe. I love you Ni” Zayn told the boy.

Liam, Louis, and Harry yelled their love for Niall and the blonde returned the favor before shutting the door and heading to Josh’s room.

Niall knocked on Josh’s hotel room and was greeted with a giddy looking Josh. Josh was wearing a leather jacket and a pair of tight blue jeans. His hair was spiked up and he was wearing dark shades.

“You ready for a fun night Ni?” Josh asked, staring at Niall, seeing he looked really good in his clothes. 

Niall nodded his head and the boys headed to the bar down the street. Walking in Josh stared at the girls; they were all sexy in their short dresses. Josh rubbed his hands together “You ready to get it on tonight”.

“Josh remember I have four boyfriends back at the hotel that would be mad if I cheated on them with a girl” Niall said laughing.

Josh and Niall laughed, heading over to the bar ordering a pint of beer. Niall gladly accepted the drink and sat on the bar stool to sip his beer. He watched Josh walk over to a group of girls by the pool table. His friend put on his most charming smile and flirted with the girl with a tight purple dress on. Next thing he knew Josh was leading the girl to the back. Wow his friend really does have some game. Niall decided to finish his beer and then head back to the hotel to be with his boyfriends. 

“Hey you’re that boy from one direction right” a voice asked behind Niall.

Turning around Niall replied with a smile “Yea, I’m the one they call Niall.” The boy saw a woman about his age staring at him. She had long brown hair and was wearing a sparkly white shirt and a pair of skinny jeans. She was pretty, but Niall wasn’t impressed.

“Cool my name is Isabelle but everyone calls him Izzy. What brings you out to the bar tonight?”

“I wanted a drink after a long week of work and concerts.”

“Must be hard to go out and perform every night”

“It really is. You just kinda get exhausted”

“Can I buy you a drink Niall? I think you’re pretty cool talking to.”

“Sure but I think I have more than enough money to buy you and me a drink” Niall said going over to the bartender to get two more beers. The blonde found Izzy sitting at a table in the back of the bar. Niall walked towards her smiling “So once we finish the beers I’m going to head back. The boys and I have a busy day tomorrow.”

“Okay that is fine. Can I ask you a question Niall?”

“Sure.”

“Are you single?”

Niall sat still for a moment, trying to think of an answer since he and the boys were not out yet “I’m currently seeing someone at the moment.”  
Izzy sighed sadly and looked down at her lap. Niall heard a crash and saw Josh appear back in the bar clearly drunk. Josh waved Niall over.

“I’m going back to my room with Rebecca” Josh said, pointing to the girl wrapped around his arm.

“Alright I’ll be heading back soon. Just going to finish my drink” Niall replied watching his friend walk drunkenly out the door.

Sitting down Niall picked up his beer and took a long sip of it. Izzy smiled at him and Niall’s vision began to get blurry. Last thing he remembered was Izzy practically dragging Niall outside and putting him in her car.

The Next Morning  
Liam woke up early the next morning and looked at his sleeping boyfriends. He felt his breath get stuck in his mouth when he didn’t see Niall. The boy assumed the blonde had fallen asleep on the couch too drunk to make it to the bed. Liam walked to the couch and was surprised to see Niall was not there.

The worried boyfriend woke up his three sleeping boyfriends. “Niall never came home last night” Liam yelled.

Louis shot out of bed and ran around the hotel room looking for Niall again. Liam heard him screaming out the blonde’s name. Zayn and Harry were getting dressed ready to go search the street for their boyfriend.

“Maybe he spent the night of Josh’s” Harry suggested trying to calm down a panicking Liam and Louis.

“You’re probably right Harry. Let’s go over to his room now” Zayn said, opening the door to their room.

The four boys walked down the hotel to Josh’s room. The floor felt cold to Harry’s bare feet. Zayn’s perfect hair was a mess since he had no time to fix it. Louis was still in his boxers with pink bunny slippers. Liam was just wearing a red rode. Harry laughed at the sight of his boyfriends. He knew Niall would probably laugh at them if he wasn’t that hung over. Finally reaching the door Zayn knocked on it.

Liam heard groaning when Zayn knocked and the sound of feet shuffling towards the door. Opening the door the boys were greeted with a very hungover Josh. Josh hissed at the sunlight and quickly went back in the shadows.

“What do you guys want” Josh asked annoyed.

“We were wondering if Niall is in there with you.” Liam questioned.

Josh looked confused and replied “No”

“Don’t lie to us Josh. Niall I know you're in there. I promise we won't be mad for you not coming home” Louis yelled stepping inside the room.

Josh watched in horror as Louis went towards the master bedroom. Before he could say anything Lou threw the door open and went inside. Liam heard a scream come from the room that was definitely female. “Sorry” Louis muttered shutting the door.

“You guys might not want to go in there. Inside is a naked girl” Louis mumbled, standing next to Liam.

Harry who was not full of panic stepped forward and grabbed Josh by the neck of his shirt and pled “Where is Niall?”

“I don’t know. He got a drink last I saw him. He said he would be back once he finished his beer.” Josh pleaded.

Zayn pushed Josh down angrily yelling “You were supposed to stay there together. You were supposed to watch out for Niall. How dare you leave him in a bar!”

Josh wiped away the tears watching the four boys storm out of his room. Josh quickly got dressed to help Liam, Zayn, Harry, and Louis search for Niall. The boy couldn’t believe he put a girl over Niall. It is supposed to be bros before hoes. Josh felt ashamed for breaking the guys’ trust and for leaving Niall.

The four boys went back to their apartment to get fully dressed before they went out looking for Niall. Harry grabbed his phone and saw he had 7 missed calls from an unknown number. Sucking in his breath, he saw the same number called Zayn and Lou 7 times as well. Liam came running in the room with his phone. The boy looked pale and had a sad expression on his face.

“What’s wrong Liam?” Harry asked, afraid to know the answer.

Louis and Zayn turned around and watched Liam. “I just checked my phone and saw all these missed calls. So I called them back...It was the hospital.”

When Liam said the word hospital Louis fell to his knees tears erupting from his eyes. Zayn squeezed his hand in a fist and Harry remained perfectly still. Liam continued “Niall’s in the hospital. We are leaving now!”

The four boys ran to the car and sped towards the hospital hoping Niall was fine. Josh went to go tell Paul about what had happened. Harry tried to keep calm in the car. He was mad at himself for not checking his phone last night. Zayn stared out the car window not saying a word. He knew if he talked he would probably explode with anger. Louis didn’t care about any of the driving laws he needed to see Niall now and make sure his boyfriend was okay. He hit the gas and ran through a stop sign. Liam played with his fingers trying hard to ignore Lou’s horrible driving. He kept having to wipe his eyes to stop the tears from rolling down his face.

One Direction arrived at the hospital in record time. A 15 minute drive was reduced to 5 minutes when Louis was behind the wheel. Nurses inside the building watched 4 lads sprint to the entrance.

“Please slow down” a nurse called to the boys when they ran to the front desk.

An out of breath, Liam slammed his hands on the desk and panted “We are here for Niall Horan.”

The woman typed away on her computer looking up Niall in her files.

“Can you tell us if Niall is okay” begged Zayn.

Looking from her computer the nurse informed “Niall is fine, no life threatening injuries. He has been moved to a visiting so you can go see him. But I believe the doctor caring for him wants to talk to you before you see Niall.”

Harry sighed in relief knowing Niall was going to be okay. He wondered how his little Irish boyfriend ended up in the hospital. Zayn watched the nurse stand up and bring over a doctor. The boy assumed he must be the doctor taking care of Niall.

The doctor walked over holding a clipboard and wearing a fake smile. “So you boys are here for Niall.”

“Yes, can you tell us what exactly happened to Niall” Louis asked.

“We aren’t really sure what happened either if I’m being honest. An ambulance was called by a maid who said she found Niall screaming in bed. He was a sprained wrist and his has bruises all over his body. The boy also had some roofies in his system. Niall though hasn’t said a word since he got here. The boy seems to be in shock. We are pretty sure we know what happened, but I think you guys should hear it from your friend. Now if you follow me this way I’ll take you to his room.”

The doctor led the four boys down a long hallway and opened a white door. Stepping inside Zayn was greeted with an eerie silence. “Niall” the doctor called “Your friends are here.”

Niall didn’t move or blink and Liam began to feel worried. Louis ran towards Niall and grabbed his right hand. The blonde flinched and quickly pulled his hand back. “Oh yea I forgot to mention he won’t let anyone touch him” the doctor sighed.

“Well I have other patients to attend too. Get a nurse if you need any help” the doctor said leaving the room.

The boys turned back to Niall and gasped. Niall looked so sad and defeated. He wore a neutral expression and his eyes were glazed over. Harry noticed bruises on his wrists and saw his blonde hair was all messed up.

“Ni”, Liam whispered “It’s okay. You’re safe.” Liam walked up to Niall and tried to rub his hand. The blonde let out a small scream and stopped once Liam moved away his hand.

Zayn saw his vision get blurry with tears. He wondered what could have made Niall act like this. 

“Niall please talk to us”, Harry begged sitting in the chair next to the blonde.

Niall still said nothing. He wouldn’t look any of them in the eye. Louis huffed in frustration. Lou walked straight over to the blonde and turned Niall’s head so they would face each other. Niall reacted violently to this action. The blonde thrashed in the bed screaming and crying. The blonde yelled “Please stop. I have boyfriends. Please don’t.”

Niall whimpered and put his hands protectively over his head. Zayn and Liam took a step back, shocked by their boyfriend’s sudden outburst.

“Ni, what is wrong. Please don’t shut us out. We want to help.” Harry pleaded.

“We love you, remember that and will continue to love you no matter what” Zayn said stepping forward. Louis nodded his head, agreeing with Zayn.

Niall blinked and finally moved his eyes taking in his surroundings. Tears glistened down his face. “You can’t love me anymore” Niall cried.

“What do you mean?” Liam asked.

“I’m dirty. I’m a slut. I couldn’t stop her” the blonde wept

Harry pulled the blonde in for a hug and Niall wept into the boy’s chest. Harry gently rubbed the Irishman’s back, humming a soothing tune.

“Tell us what happened love, so we can help and no matter what, we will still love you.” Zayn begged.  
Niall took a few deep breaths before saying “Last night I was ...raped.”

Silence filled the hospital room. Louis had his hand over his mouth. He couldn’t believe someone would do that to his Niall. Harry cried, his eyes getting red and puffy. He hated Niall having to experience the evil side of the world. Zayn punched the wall. He wanted to kill who ever touched his baby. Liam was at a loss of words. He always thought that they were untouchable because they were One Direction. He never knew there were such cruel people in the world.

Flashback

Niall woke up to the blinding light coming from the window. He tried to move his hand to rub his eyes but he couldn’t. Feeling a sense of panic the blonde turned his head to see his wrist tied to the bedpost. Niall looked at his body to see he had no clothes on and his legs and other wrist were tied up as well.

The Irishman screamed at the top of his lungs. Tears streamed down his face as he cried. Niall was beyond embarrassed and ashamed. He felt violated and afraid. His body was sore and hurt whenever he moved it. His clothes were in a pile by the door. Niall couldn’t believe he was drugged and raped. The boy sat there thinking of how his boyfriends would hate him now. Who would want to date a dirty slut? Niall was a bloody mess as he wept.

He heard the door unlock and a worried looking maid entered the room. She saw the naked boy tied to the bed and screamed. Eventually when she calmed down the maid united Niall from the bed and gave him a robe so he could cover up. The blonde sat in silence, not moving and freaked the maid out. She quickly called an ambulance and Niall was driven to the hospital where he was given tests and x-rays to make sure he was okay. Niall sat in silence in shock from the events that were happening. The blonde lay in the hospital bed in complete silence until his boyfriends came.

End Flashback

“Niall it’s not your fault” Zayn said, breaking the deafening silence.

“Yes it is” Niall whimpered.

“No, you didn’t ask to get drugged and be tied to a bed” Louis replied.

“Lou is right Ni. I still love you. You did nothing wrong. And I’m so sorry this happened to you” Harry coaxed pulling Niall into another hug. This time the other boys joined in. Niall was surrounded by his boyfriends and for the first time since he arrived at the hospital felt safe.

The boys checked Niall out of the hospital a few hours later and carried their boyfriend home.

“Niall you’re perfect. I love you forever and always” Zayn told Niall pulling the boy into his lap.

It took Niall some time before he was himself again. The boys told him every day he was perfect and how much they loved him. Eventually Niall began believing what his boyfriends were telling him. Josh came by a visited the blonde for a week straight begging for the boy’s forgiveness every day. Niall happily forgave Josh. The blonde learned to blame Izzy instead of himself.

A week later

“Hey Ni, you know you’re perfect right” Liam said, giving Niall a small peck on the lips.

“I know Li because you tell me that everyday” Niall replied rolling his eyes.

“Shall I carry you down to the dinner table” Liam asked.

Niall nodded his head and watched his boyfriend lift him up easily. Niall giggled as he was set down at the table. Dinner was normal and the boys realized Niall would be okay. Harry said a cheesy joke and the blonde’s laugh filled the air. Louis and Zayn joined in glad to see Niall acting like himself again. Now the boys would be even more protective over their baby Niall.

“Ni, you know we love you right” Zayn asked lying in bed.

“I know and I love you guys too. You are the best boyfriends ever. Thank you for being patient and caring with me” Niall said before falling asleep.

Zayn smiled and played with Niall’s hair. He kissed the blonde’s forehead and went to sleep. He wouldn’t let anyone touch a hair on Niall’s head again. Zayn knew everything was going to be okay because Niall was strong and wasn’t going to let the rape end his life. The boys all piled into bed and wrapped their arms protectively around Niall.

The blonde smiled, knowing he was safe and warm. Everything would be alright, he thought before drifting off into a deep sleep.


	6. A New Home and Family (Louis Centric)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can you do one where there’s four member of 1d-liam,zayn,niall and Harry. On the way home from a concert they see boys attacking another boy(Louis) they save him and get him cleaned up. They find out that Louis’ 15 and homeless. So the boys adopt him and look after him.. One day.. They hear Louis singing and Louis joins one direction.. You can finish the ending thanks x   
> I changed the prompt a little bit sorry

Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, and Zayn Malik made up the band known as One Direction. They toured the world singing in a different city every night and were loved by all. What the world didn’t know was the four boys were in a secret relationship. One person who loved the band was a boy named Louis Tomlinson. He lived in a small town in England called Doncaster. Louis wasn’t sure how old he was but he was guessing around 17 to 18. 

Louis would watch the boys whenever he could. This meant standing in front of the TV shop near the alley he, called home and watching them sing. Louis has been homeless ever since he can remember. The allay place on the corner of the street is where Lou would sleep. Sometimes though when it was nice out or when the stars could be seen Louis would sleep on a park bench. The boy tried to go to school, but he was bullied and had no computer to do homework on. Lou was failing many of his classes and probably would not be graduating at the end of the year. Louis lived a sad, lonely life and was waiting for his life to finally turn around.

The boy woke up on the hard wooden bench in the park. He shivered realizing newspaper are not very good blankets. Sighing he sat up and folded the newspapers into neat little squares and put them back in his plastic bag. Louis didn’t know when he would need the paper again. He stretched his arms and back hearing a satisfying crack come from his back. He debated on whether or not he should go to school. Finally he decided school because he received free food at lunch. The lunch ladies pitied the homeless kid and gave him the leftovers. Louis watched the sun rise in the morning before he began his walk to school bracing himself for the ridicule he would face today.

Louis arrived at school the same time the buses did. He took a deep breath and walked to the front door, hoping no one would notice him but of course everyone did. Who could miss the boy who wore the same clothes everyday to school? The boy didn’t even have a backpack. He would simply leave his textbooks in a locker and never take them out of it. “Hey freak weren’t you wearing that shirt yesterday” his bully Josh yelled earning snickers from some of the other students.

“Ewww he stinks” a girl shrieked holding her nose. Louis looked down at the ground feeling humiliated and darted into the school before the bullies could think of anymore mean comments.

The homeless boy sat down in his first period class and braced himself for the stares and rude comments. The bell rung and in walked the class shooting daggers and disgusted looks straight at Louis. The boy hid under his textbook waiting for the teacher to begin the lesson.

The final bell of the day rung and Louis ran out of the building. He decided he wouldn’t be going back to school for a couple days since he took enough food at lunch to last 3 days. Looking in his plastic bag Louis counted 2 red apples and three bananas. He smiled to himself and made his way towards the alley. Little did Louis know he was being followed by Josh, who decided it was time to teach the homeless a boy a lesson. Josh planned on having Louis never come to school again and he figured a good beating would keep the boy away. Louis felt a sharp pain in his head and fell to the ground. His vision got blurry and then the world went black.

Niall leaned against the door of the car as One Direction left a radio interview in Doncaster. He replayed the boring interview in his head. The same old questions were asked like who was single and what they look for in girls. Niall sighed, wishing people would ask them different questions. Harry was leaning on Liam snoring away. That boy could fall asleep anywhere at any time. Zayn watched Harry jealously. He yawned and rested his head on the back of his seat beginning to doze off. Liam put on his earbuds and gave Niall a wink before closing his eyes.

The blonde always had trouble falling asleep in cars and sighed, watching his boyfriends take a power nap before the next interview. Niall went back to staring out the window until something caught his eye. The blonde unbuckled his seatbelt and yelled “Stop the car” to the driver.

Liam was woken up by the slamming of the brakes and a car door opening and closing. The boy watched Niall get out of the car and run in front of traffic. “What the hell are you doing Ni?” Liam called at his boyfriend.

Harry groaned, getting off of Liam. His boyfriend better have a good reason for screaming. The curly haired boy noticed the car was no longer moving and stopped in the middle of the street. “Pull over” Liam ordered.

Zayn woke up next and saw his favorite blonde was gone. “Where’s Ni?”

“He just took off. Niall opened the door, got out of the car, and just ran. I’m worried Zayn.” Liam replied.

Zayn nodded his head and took off his seatbelt and ran out of the car. He went towards the alley where Niall had gone. He needed to find out what made his boyfriend get out of the car in the middle of the street. Zayn dodged the traffic and made it to the sidewalk. He took a moment to catch his breath before continuing forward. Zayn was going to kill Niall once he found him.

Niall ran into the alley and saw a boy getting the shit beat out of him. The blonde had to stop the merciless beating. “Hey! Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” The second Niall said it he immediately regretted it. The three boys were a lot taller and stronger than the blonde. The boy should have just sneaked up behind the boys and surprised attacked them. Niall sighed there was no backing out now. He needed to help that poor boy who was getting attacked.

“Just turn around and walk way” the first attacker said.

“No, I won’t sit by and watch you hurt an innocent kid” replied Niall.

“Fine you asked for it” the boy said forming his hand in a fist. He brought his fist towards Niall’s face and the blonde closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain.

The blonde opened his eyes in surprise when he didn’t feel the fist connect with his skin. He saw the fist hovering in front of his face, but another hand holding it. Turning around Niall noticed Zayn. The blonde connected the dots and knew Zayn had stopped Niall from getting punched by grabbing the attacker’s fist.

Zayn pushed the boy back onto the ground. How dare he try to hurt his Niall. Zayn pushed his boyfriend behind him bending his knees and putting his fists out in case the other 2 boys tried to attack. Niall shot Zayn an appreciative look and hid behind his boyfriend.

The boy on the ground stood up and brushed himself off. “Well there are 3 of us and only two of you. Well make that one since blondy over here is pretty useless.”

Zayn growled “Don’t speak to my boyfriend that way”.

“Or what” the attacker dared.

“I’ll put you in the hospital”

“You and what army”

“Us” said an out of breath Liam who stood there with his arms folded. Harry checked to see if Niall was okay before he took his place next to Zayn.

“Still think you can beat us” Zayn questioned giving the boy a smile.

“Whatever. We’ll take care of this later” the boy said, giving the unconscious kid on the ground one final kick. The 3 attackers left the alley shooting One Direction hostile looks.

Niall darted to the boy on the ground. “We need to help him.” The blonde held his head up and soon his hands were covered in the Louis’s blood.

Liam picked up the injured boy and the boys went back to the car. “Niall we will talk about this later” Zayn told the blonde climbing into the car.

The injured boy was brought back to the hotel and laid out on the boys’ bed. Niall and Harry cleaned Louis off. The boy’s clothes stuck to him and Harry had trouble getting them off Louis’s body. Once he was cleaned off Harry joined Zayn and Liam in the other room.

“What the hell happened today” Harry whispered, careful to not let Niall hear him.

Liam shrugged, sitting down on the couch.

“I think Ni saw the kid getting beat up and wanted to help. But what Niall forgot is he can’t fight and is small and weak. We’re lucky we were there or Niall would have ended up like the kid in the alley” Zayn described.  
“You’re right” Liam agreed.

“Well I’ll get dinner ready and we can talk with Niall and make sure he never pulls a stunt like this again. He almost gave me a heart attack. I don’t know what we are going to do with that boy” Harry told the two boys.

Liam and Zayn nodded in agreement. Zayn was just happy he got to Niall in time. He didn’t want to imagine what would have happened if he arrived a second later. Liam leaned against Zayn and began kissing the boy’s neck. Zayn moaned as the kisses went higher up on his neck.

Louis woke up to a pair of blue eyes staring straight at him. The boy screamed which caused the blonde to scream as well. Niall was so startled he fell on his butt. “Ouch” the blonde moaned.

“Where am I” Lou asked.

“You’re in a hotel. I’m Niall by the way.”

“I know who you are. How did I end up in a hotel room with Niall Horan from One Direction?”

“Well actually it’s a funny story. The boys and I were driving by an alleyway and I saw you getting beat up and I just had to help.”

Louis sat in silence for a moment. He couldn’t believe One Direction had actually saved him. The boy was really hoping this wasn’t a dream or mean prank. “Thanks for helping me. I’m Louis. How bad are my injuries?”

“No problem. You just have a couple of scrapes. We stopped them from really hurting you. May I ask why those guys were beating you up?”

“Umm… They kinda hate me. Josh and his friends hate that they have to go to the same school as a homeless kid. They were hoping beating me up would keep me from going back to school. But I have to go back every week because it’s the only place that will give me free food” Louis cried out surprised he revealed so much about himself to a stranger. Louis usually kept quiet and now he told Niall his life story. 

“You’re homeless” Niall asked.

“Yea, since I can remember.”

Niall saw his vision get blurry when Louis told him how he had to live in an alley his whole life. The blonde didn’t want to imagine how horrible the winters must have been or how long Louis had been wearing those clothes.   
“I’m so sorry that life has been so bad for you, but today everything will change. Today your life will start to turn around”

“How do you know?”

“Because you will now be living with the boys and I and touring with us. I won’t take no for an answer Louis. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life in an alleyway?”

“No one has ever shown me this much kindness. I don’t want to be a burden. You have already done more than enough for me. You really don’t have to take me it.”

“But I want to Lou. Let me and the boys help you.”

Louis was taken aback. He really didn’t want to go back living on the street. “Okay I’ll stay with you guys. It’s not like it will be any worse than where I was living before.”

“Go get cleaned up and then come join the boys and I for dinner. I left a clean pair of clothes in the bathroom” Niall said, closing the door to the bedroom.

Niall skipped into the other room where his boyfriends were sprawled out on the couch having a make-out session. Clearing his throat, Niall got the attention of the 3 boys. “So I have news. The boy, whose name is Louis, will be living with us for the time being.”

“Niall what the hell you can’t just ask someone to live with us before asking us first. What if he is a murderer? We know nothing about him Ni. He can’t stay with us.” Liam exclaimed.

“He has no place to go. He’s homeless. That alley we found him in was his home. I am not sending back out to live in the streets and continue to get the shit beat out of him.” Niall declared.

Harry stared at his boyfriend surprised by his outburst. “I don’t care if he stays, but what if he finds out about the relationship.”

“He can stay in a separate room and we just won’t be touchy feely in front of him” Niall replied.

Zayn groaned, he didn’t want to hide his relationship anymore. They already hide it when they are out in public, now he has to hide it in private.

Niall got down on his knees in front of Zayn and grabbed his hands. Making huge puppy dog eyes Niall begged “Please Zaynie”.

“Fine. You know I can’t resist the puppy dog eyes” Zayn sighed looking defeated. He really needed to learn how to say no to Niall.

“Liam please say yes.” Niall said, throwing on his cutest smile.

“He can stay, but I want him in a different room than us” Liam grumbled.

Niall jumped up and down exclaiming “Yay”. The 3 boys smiled watching their boyfriend dance around in happiness. Liam pulled Niall onto his lap and moved his mouth towards his. Their lips connected hard and rough. Liam shoved his tongue in the blonde’s mouth and Niall moaned in response. The kiss was broken when the boys heard the bedroom door open. Niall quickly jumped off of his boyfriend.

Louis came out of the room wearing a pair of Niall’s jeans and a black shirt of Harry’s. The curly haired boy looked at Niall signaling that that was his shirt. The blonde smirked mouthing I know. Harry was ready to kill his boyfriend, but he had to admit Louis did look good in his shirt. Zayn stared at Louis and noticed just how skinny the boy was.

“Whose is ready for dinner?” Niall exclaimed clapping his hands together.

The 4 boys followed Niall to the table where they all sat down. During the course of the meal the boys got to know Louis. It turned out he was really funny and sarcastic. It seemed like they had known the homeless boy for years when they finished dinner. Louis was already making jokes about the 4 boys. Liam, Zayn, and Harry knew Louis would become a part of the One Direction family.

After touring with the boys for five months Louis didn’t think life could get any better. He loved each boy from One Direction. He knew about their relationship, Liam told him after about 2 months of him staying with them. Louis didn’t mind and the guys said he could join the relationship whenever he wanted since the four boys all loved Lou. The boy declined the offer for the time being. He knew one day he would take up the offer, but it would take some time. 

Louis helped with setting up the stage before the concert and would sit back stage every show and listen to the boys sing. He loved his job and his new life. Once the concert was done One Direction headed back to the hotel with Louis. Liam and Zayn were playing Xbox on the couch while Harry and Niall were absorbed on their phones, checking twitter. Louis decided to take a shower before Zayn used up all the hot water. That boy would spend over an hour in the shower.

The boy turned on the water and stood under the spray for a couple of seconds. He still couldn’t get used to being able to shower every week. Louis was lucky if he showered once a month. He started singing No Control not realizing how loud he was being until he heard a banging on the door. Panic washed over Louis what if they hated his singing. He remembered Josh making fun of him the last time he sang.

Louis wrapped a towel around himself and greeted an excited Niall.

“You never told me you could sing” Niall yelled.

“I didn’t think I could” Louis replied sadly looking at his feet.

“That is crazy. You have the most amazing voice and others have to hear it.” Niall said, dragging a soaking wet Louis out of the bathroom. “Guys you have to hear Louis sing. He is really good.”

Zayn paused the video game and Harry looked up from his phone, all three boys staring at Louis. The boy took a deep breath and started singing No Control again. He watched Harry’s face show any expression of awe. Liam and Zayn were shocked, their mouths hanging open. 

When Louis finished the song, the four boys applauded Lou. The boy’ cheeks turned red from embarrassment and he gave a sheepish smile.

“Louis, you are really good like good enough to join One Direction” Harry informed.

“I’m definitely not good enough to be in your band” Louis declared.

“Yes you are” Liam said, pulling out his phone to call Paul. He needed to hear Louis sing.

In the next hour Louis sang for Paul and officially became a member of One Direction. The fans took some time to get used to Louis but eventually he was loved just as much as the other boys. The once homeless boy joined the relationship a month after becoming a member of One Direction. Louis couldn’t imagine what his life would have been like if Niall didn’t find him. He was happy, though he never gave up in life. Louis realized life does get better with time. One Direction gave Louis a home and purpose. Louis would never change his new life for anything.


	7. The Slip-Up(Niall Centric)

Harry never knew why or when he started spitting water during Better Than Words but he loved it. He loved hearing the crowd scream and go crazy when he spit the water at them. It made him feel great and his boyfriends always laughed at Harry when he did it. Tonight was no exception for Harry.

Louis watched his boyfriend get ready for his big moment filling up his mouth with water. The boys never worried about the stage getting slippery. Louis was too distracted by Harry to notice Liam and Zayn sneak up behind him. Next thing he knew Louis was soaking wet and cold.

Louis turned to see a snickering Liam and Zayn. “You’re both dead”, Louis yelled over the screaming crowd. Louis grabbed a water bottle and chased the two boys around the stage. All thoughts of singing Better Than Words leaving the three running boys’ heads. Niall chuckled, watching his boyfriends act like children. Harry joined Louis with trying to get Zayn and Liam wet.

The stage became soaked with water due to the boys’ horrible aims. Niall went to sit next to Josh, he wasn’t really in the mood to chase after the boys. Besides Niall guessed he would be the one to slip on the water and fall. He would rather it be Liam or Louis instead of him. “How’s it going Josh?” Niall asked, sitting next to the drummer.

Before Josh could respond Niall had a whole bottle of water poured on his head. His wet hair fell into his eyes. Water dripped down the blonde’s face and his white tank top was now becoming see through. Liam was very proud of his work. Niall was looking very sexy to Liam right now. Niall and Liam locked eyes before Liam took off running down the stage.

Niall took a deep breath, grabbing a water bottle to pour on Liam. Running on stage Niall saw Zayn was even more wet than him. His black shirt was sticking to his body showing off Zayn’s muscles. The wet hair stuck to his face giving off a sexy look like he just got out of the shower. Niall moaned slightly under his breath. Damn Zayn looks hot soaking wet Niall thought.

Louis was screaming as Harry and Liam cornered him. Niall debated on whether he should save his boyfriend or let him suffer. Sneaking up behind Liam, Niall took off the lid to his water and poured his icy drink all over the boy’s head. Liam let out a shriek when the icy water hit his head. Niall quickly turned to Harry and poured the remaining water on his curly brown hair.

“Thank for the save love”, Louis called escaping from Harry and Liam.

“No problem Lou”, Niall replied, smiling at how he got Liam and Harry. The two boys were whispering to each other, forming a plan. Niall searched for Zayn and found him drying himself off with a towel. Looks like Zayn is out of the game Niall thought. Liam and Harry made their way towards Niall no doubt whispering about how to get back at their Irish boyfriend. Niall screamed as he retreated away from the two boys.

The fans were laughing at the scene unfolding on stage. They loved watching the boys goof around on stage and have fun. The stage was like a giant slip and slide. It was shiny since it was covered in so much water.

Louis wavered Niall towards him so they could team up against Harry and Liam. The blonde darted across the stage and felt his foot slip out from under him. Niall saw both his legs leave the ground for a moment before he crashed on the ground. He landed on his ankle wrong and felt a sharp pain when he tried to move it. The blonde had the wind knocked out of him and he tried to catch his breath.

Liam arrived next to the fallen Niall to see his boyfriend gasping for air. The boy crouched down next to the blonde and rubbed his back. After a couple deep and unsteady breaths Niall finally caught his breath. Harry slid over next Niall and was about to fall on his butt. Louis came up behind Harry and caught him whispering “Glad I caught you”.

“Really Lou, did you just quote frozen” Harry chuckled.

“Hey I saw the opportunity and I seized it”

“So does that make me Anna and you Hans?”

“Sure so you better watch yourself Styles before I murder you and your family for the throne”

Harry rolled his eyes and replied “You are so romantic Lou”.

Liam watched Louis and Harry for a little bit before turning back to Niall.

“Are you okay Ni?” Liam questioned.

Niall debated on whether to tell him about his ankle or wait till after the concert. “I’m fine Liam.  
Just slipped.” Niall replied, putting on a big smile.

Liam grinned back at Niall and helped his boyfriend up. Louis and Zayn ran down to join the others and give them towels. Louis tried drying his hair but now it stuck up in a hundred different directions. Harry looked like a wet dog with his hair that covered his whole face. “Harry you really need to get a haircut soon”, Zayn remarked upon seeing the curly haired boy. Zayn looked great as always. Niall gladly took a towel and wiped his face and hair dry.

“Are you guys ready for Better Than Words”, Harry yelled, getting the audience pumped up.

“Yeah sorry guys for the little water war. We got a bit distracted” Liam admitted.

The fans screamed back, letting Liam knew they loved the water war. Niall tried to put weight on his ankle and was greeted with searing pain. Shit the blonde thought. The song started and Niall got ready for his solo. Walking, or more like hobbling down the soaking wet stage Niall did his signature move gaining screams from the crowd and a moan from Louis. The blonde smirked at Louis sticking out his tongue before heading back up the stage.

Niall had trouble getting back up the ramp. It did not help that the ramp was wet and steep and that Niall had a hurt ankle. Zayn watched Niall curiously. The raven haired boy wondered why Niall didn’t just walk up the stage. Zayn jumped down next to Niall and held his arm out. The blonde gladly took the offering and made it up the stage.

“What’s wrong”, Zayn asked.

“Nothing. It’s just when I slipped I fell on my ankle.”

“Do you think you can finish the show?”

“Yes, just don’t tell the others because they will make a big deal out of it”

“Okay. Just don’t push yourself Ni. If worst comes to worst just sit down on the ramp”

Niall nodded his head and both boys headed in opposite directions to finish the song.

The concert was going great. Niall didn’t push himself and stayed in the same area on the stage. Harry assumed his boyfriend was tired when Niall stopped moving around and being bouncy. Zayn watched the blonde with hawk eyes, making sure his boyfriend didn’t try anything stupid.  
Louis walked down to the center of the stage telling the crowd “It’s time for the twitter questions. Let’s see what you guys want us to answer. Come on boys’ front and center.”

Groaning Niall made his way down the catwalk going at a snail’s pace. Zayn quickly ran up behind the blonde and picked him up. The crowd went crazy and yelled “Ziall”. Liam rolled his eyes at the audience, if only they knew the truth.

The four boys arrived next to a waiting Louis and Zayn put Niall down. Louis read “The first question is from NewsieLover1. It asks who makes the group laugh the most.”

One Direction took a moment to think of an answer. Each boy was funny and they could all make each other laugh. Harry put the mic up to his mouth and declared “Louis is probably the member that makes us laugh the most.”

Zayn and Liam nodded their heads in approval and Louis jumped up and down in glee. Lou loved being told how funny, he was. Niall knew he wouldn’t hear the end of how Harry proclaimed Louis as the funny one.

“The next question asks who can jump the highest” Liam said after reading the tweet.

Turning towards Niall, Liam pointed at the blonde saying “Niall can definitely jump the highest. Have you guys seen the Niall Horan Jump?”

Niall felt his face burn up. He really didn’t want to jump and he knew his ankle wouldn’t be able to handle the pain.

“Who wants to see the Niall Horan jump” Harry screamed at the fans getting them pumped for the jump. The crowd screamed in response and chanted Niall.

Zayn gave Niall an apologetic look and went over to Liam. The raven haired boy was trying to tell Liam about Ni’s hurt ankle when he watched the blonde get ready for the jump. “Niall don’t” Zayn yelled.

Niall ignored Zayn and took a running start, he didn’t want to disappoint the fans. Harry watched in anticipation, he loved seeing Niall jump. Louis cheered his boyfriend on along with the fans.

The blonde jumped off the ground and cringed when he put pressure on his ankle. He felt both feet leave the ground and he bent his legs just like he always did. Coming down, he braced himself for the pain. Hitting the ground Niall’s ankle gave out and he fell on his butt. Niall whimpered and grabbed his ankle. Harry ran towards his crying boyfriend “Niall are you okay?”

Niall nodded his head, biting his lip. The blonde tried getting up but fell over again. Luckily he was caught by Louis before he hit the ground. “What hurts?” Louis asked.

“My ankle” Niall whimpered.

“Can you finish the show if you don’t move?”

“Yes, but I’m fine. I can still move around.”

“No you can’t. Your ankle is swollen and I will not let you walk around anymore. It’s either you sit down or we finish the concert early” Louis said crossing his arms.

“Fine” Niall grumbled.

Liam and Zayn walked over after Zayn told Liam about Niall’s ankle. Louis quickly filled the 3 boys on how Niall was sitting down for the rest of the concert. All the boys agreed with Louis’s plan except for Niall who felt like he was letting the fans down.

Harry faced the crowd and told them “So Niall has seemed to have injured himself. He will be sitting down for the rest of the concert.”

The fans understood and yelled nice comments towards Niall like “Don’t push yourself Niall” or “We still love you Niall”.

The blonde was carried to the ramp by Liam and was put down gently on the platform. The concert finished with the boys continually moving Niall from one part of the stage to the other. Zayn would run and get the blonde’s guitar when he needed it. The boys waved goodbye and Liam carried Niall bridal style off the stage.  
“You should’ve said something when you hurt your ankle.” Liam huffed.

“Yea”, Louis agreed “You should not have pushed yourself Ni.”

Niall sighed “I know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine baby. We just worry about you is all” Zayn said, giving Niall a kiss on the cheek.

Liam laid Niall down on the couch and the boys examined his ankle.

After observing his ankle Louis informed “It’s not broken just bruised. We’ll just have to ice it and Niall you will have to take it easy.”

“Okay I’ll take it easy” Niall agreed.

“Why do I not believe you?” Harry chuckled.

“Because that boy never takes it easy so it will be up to us to make sure Niall doesn’t do anything dumb or push himself” Liam replied.

The blonde rolled his eyes “I love the faith you have in me.”

“We only do all this cause we love you Ni” Louis said kissing Niall’s hand.

“Yea I know and I love you guys too.” Niall said sighing in defeat. Looks like he will have to go easy at the next couple of concerts.

The five boys headed back to the hotel where they all piled into bed and went to sleep. Niall knew his ankle would be fine in a couple of days and that he had the four best boyfriends in the whole entire world. The blonde fell asleep to the steady rhythm of his sleeping boyfriends.


	8. Unloved Part 1(Niall Centric)

"Niall get up its time for school" Maura yelled from the bottom of the stairs. He wondered why his mom cared enough to wake her son up for school. Ever since Niall's dad had died Maura had been treating her son differently. The woman blamed the death on her son since he was the one who made his father drive to the store that one rainy day. She made sure to punish her child everyday for the death of her husband.

Groaning the blonde rolled out of bed, letting his bare feet touch the cold ground. He shivered on impact and quickly pulled his feet back onto the bed. Niall rubbed his eyes, trying to get his eyes used to the sunlight. The blonde shuffled towards the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

He needs to cover up the bruises on his body from school and home. The blonde looked at his new black eye, which he received from his mother yesterday for making eye contact with her. Sighing he took out his make-up kit and put cover up on his face. Niall lifted up his shirt and examined his black and blue chest. Josh and his friends held him down and kicked the blonde until he tasted blood in his mouth. Putting down the shirt Niall began to cover up the bruise on his face.

The smell of food filled the kitchen and Niall felt his stomach growl. Walking slowly down the stairs the blonde stopped at the kitchen to see his mom. Maura looked up grinning, putting syrup all over her pancakes. "You want some sweetie" she asked sweetly.

Even though the boy knew it was trick Niall still nodded his head yes. "Well you can't have any you bastard" she yelled, standing up and throwing the plate at her son. Niall screamed and attempted to duck. Shards of glass exploded on the wall and some pieces cut the blonde on his face.

Niall ran to the bathroom to examine his new wounds. He counted 3 cuts and luckily they weren't very deep. Taking a paper towel Niall held it to his face and stopped the bleeding. He heard the front door open and shut and he knew his mother had left for work. Sighing with relief Niall slid down to the ground and began to sob. He didn't know how long he could survive like this. The blonde hated his life. He found happiness nowhere and was beginning to believe he deserved this treatment. The only thing that could brighten Niall's day was the boy band One Direction. Whenever the boy felt down he would simply put on an interview with the band and his day would get better.

A bus honked outside and Niall knew the school bus had arrived. Darting down the stairs the blonde grabbed his backpack and headed out the door. The door to the bus opened and Niall climbed inside. All conversations stopped when he entered the bus. The blonde looked around for an empty seat and found one at the back of the bus. The kids all smirked evilly at the blonde as he made his way to the back. Someone put their foot out in the aisle and Niall tripped over it dropping everything that was in his hand. The bus erupted in laughter and the boy blushed with embarrassment.

Whimpering the boy quickly grabbed his belonging and darted to the back. He saw his main bully Josh wiping his eyes from laughing to hard. Niall rested his head against the bus window and closed his eyes, trying to imagine being anywhere but Ireland. He felt someone sit next to him and Niall opened his eyes. Much to his dismay the person sitting next to Niall was Josh.

"Hey Niall, how's it going" Josh asked jokey because he really didn't care. The question earned some chuckles from the bully's friends.

Rolling his eyes Niall replied "what do you want".

"I'm offended you don't think I care about you Niall because I do. If you weren't around then whose life would I make a living hell?"

Niall shrugged, he didn't really know how to respond. Josh slammed the blonde's head into the cool window. The boy groaned in pain, feeling blood drip down his lip. With a cracked lip Josh got up satisfied "This is just a warm up for today."

Josh sat down next to his friends and each of them high fived Josh. The blonde bit his quivering lip. He didn't want Josh to see him cry. He took a napkin and held it to his bleeding lip when the bus stopped at his school. Niall waited until everyone was off the bus until he got off.

Posters littered the school, but Niall choose not to read them. It was probably for homecoming or another school dance. He remembered the last dance he went to. Josh had dunked Niall in the punch bowl and the kids used the blonde as a punching bag. The teachers sat there and watched Niall get beat up and ridiculed for a couple minutes before one of them finally put an end to the boy's suffering. The teacher told Niall it was his fault that he got beat up because he came to the dance. Niall cried all night in his room and couldn't move his body the next day.

The boy wondered when the bullying had started. He used to be good friends with Josh but then one day everything changed for the worst. One day in 7th grade Niall came into school and received a punch to the face from Josh. The next day the ridicule started and the whole school joined in. Niall thought high school would be better, but he was completely wrong. High school was where the bullying got worse. He believed his mother had something to do with the bullying. Ever since his dad died when he was 8 his mom changed. Madura wanted her son to be punished 24/7 so she turned Niall's friends against him. She smiled happily to herself when Niall would come home from school crying covered in bruises. Finally her son was getting the punishment he deserved for killing her husband.

Niall sat down in first period and took a deep breath, preparing himself for another horrible day. Many of the students didn’t give the boy a second glance which made Niall feel a little relieved. Maybe today wouldn’t be that be. Josh strutted into the room and shot Niall a wink. The blonde sunk in his seat and his heart rate sped up. The bully sat down next to his friends, but continually glanced up at Niall.

“Alright class let’s begin. As you all know we have very exciting news. Our school won the competition Teens for Jeans. The grand prize is a concert from One Direction in our auditorium. They will be coming this Friday and we will be redecorating the school for them so they can feel welcome.” the teacher said enthusiastically.

The girls and boys screamed in excitement. Chatter filled the classroom of what they were going to wear on Friday to impress One Direction. Niall actually felt himself smile. The smile felt weird and unfamiliar since it has been so long since the last time he smiled.

“What are you smiling at?” Josh questioned, standing up from his seat.

“Nothing” Niall replied, staring at the floor.

“Good cause for a second I thought you were smiling about One Direction. I mean you weren’t really thinking of going to the concert on Friday, were you.”

“No”

“That is a relief because who would ever want to perform for a loser like you. I bet if One Direction took one look at you that would leave.”

The class laughed at what Josh said and the bully looked around at his peers proud. He loved the reactions he would get when he made fun of Niall. The teacher tried calming the students down, but it was no use. She sighed looks like her students would be getting no work done today and the rest of the week. Niall put his head down on his desk and closed his eyes breathing out disappointment. He really wanted to go to the concert, but he knew Josh would never let him.

“Do we really have to fly all the way down to Ireland to do a private concert for some dumb high school” Harry whined sitting on Liam’s lap.

“Yes babe” Liam said playing with Harry’s hair.

Louis and Zayn hated the idea of going to the high school. It was supposed to be their time off, but of course Paul signed them up for this. The boy wanted some alone time for their relationship. Paul would not allow the four boys to go public with their relationship so when they were alone, they would hold hands and do other things couples did.

“Boys this school donated over 10,000 jeans to the homeless. It’s the least we can do and besides it is only for a day.” Liam beamed.

“Fine” Zayn grumbled folding his arms over his chest. Louis flopped on Zayn making the boy groan in pain. “Really Lou.”

“What” asked Louis innocently.

“I really hate you sometimes” Zayn replied.

“I call bullshit how could ever hate this” Louis said, pulling Zayn in for a kiss. Zayn moaned, closing his eyes.

Harry and Liam looked at each other and then began making out just like the other two boys. At one point the boys switched kissing partners and they made their way to the bedroom shutting the door.

The week flew by fast for Niall. Josh and his friends didn’t have much time to hurt the blonde. The bullies were to busy helping to get the school ready for One Direction. The dirty hallways were now sparkling Friday morning. The bathrooms actually smelled good and the toilets weren’t trashed. Niall stared in awe at his clean school Thursday at the end of the day.

Niall was shaken awake by his mother who was extremely drunk. The smell of alcohol on her breath made the boy gag. Maura slapped Niall across the face screaming “How could you kill your father you selfish bastard.”

“I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry I made him take me out to get new baseball cards. I f could have taken his place I would have. It’s not my fault he didn’t put on his seatbelt.” Niall whimpered realizing he shouldn’t have brought up his dad not wearing a seatbelt.

Something clicked inside his mom and Maura threw her son to the ground. Her hands went around Niall’s neck and she started to squeeze. The blonde squirmed, trying to get out of his mom’s grip. His eyes started to tear and he saw black in his vision. He hit his mom repeatedly trying to get her to loosen the grip. Maura was going to kill Niall. Just when the blonde’s vision was about to go fully black she released Niall. The boy sat up coughing and gasping for air. He rubbed his neck, which was now starting to bruise.

Maura kicked Niall in the gut and sent a punch to his face. “Never say it was your father’s fault for not wearing a seatbelt. It’s your fault you worthless pathetic son. I hate you. You are no son of mine. You are just a burden that no one wants.” Maura spat slamming the door shut to Niall’s room.

Niall went into the fetal position and rocked back and forth trying to get over the fact he almost die. His mom the very woman who raised him had just almost killed him. The boy looked at the clock and saw he had 10 minutes till the bus came to his house. The boy sat up slowly knowing he wouldn’t have time to cover up his bruised face and neck. Niall debated on whether to go to school. If he went there was a slight chance he could see his favorite band if only for a second. Niall decided seeing One Direction was worth getting beat up for. The boy quickly put on a turtleneck to hide his neck and covered his eye with make-up.

Getting off the bus Niall was greeted by a giant welcome banner getting hung from the school. It said “Welcome One Direction”. Inside the school were posters of the boys and party streamers. The blonde looked around excitedly at all the pictures. One Direction would be coming at the end of the day after school ended to get ready for the concert which was at 7.

Niall was shoved into the nearest locker colliding with the hard surface. He groaned in pain, holding his head, which was now bleeding. Josh came up and pushed the boy to the ground. He raised his fist to deliver another blow and Niall closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain when a voice yelled “Stop.” 

The blonde opened his eyes to look at a confused Josh. No one ever told the bully no. “Who do you think you are” Josh said to the voice.

“I’m a person that won’t let you hurt some innocent kid” the boy said back getting up in Josh’s face.

Niall was shocked to say the least. No one had ever defended him. “You must be new here. This kid on the ground is the school’s personal punching bag. No one ever defends him or speaks up for him. Got it?” Josh growled.

“No I don’t got it. I will not allow you to treat a human being like this. That is wrong and sick” replied the mysterious boy.

Josh walked off his face red with fury. “Niall I’ll see you later tonight” Josh yelled walking down the hallway.

A hand appeared in front of Niall. The blonde flinched, but saw the guy wasn’t trying to hurt him. The boy took the hand and he was brought to his feet.

“Thank”, Niall mumbled, not looking in the boy’s eyes.

“No problem”

“Well I should head to class”

“Wait I’m new here, do you think you could show me around. My name is Leeroy.”

“Sure I guess I could help you out” Niall sighed “Where do you need to go?”

Leeroy took a second to reply “Actually my other three friends will need help being shown around. Can we go get them?”

Niall stared at Leeroy he hasn’t held a conversation with another human being this long since 7th grade. The new kid did seem nice and the blonde owed him for saving Niall from Josh. “Sure let’s go find your friends.”

“Great. I think my friends are going to like you” Leeroy said, taking Niall’s hand leading him down the hallway.

The new kid took Niall into an empty classroom where three boys were sitting on top of desks. “Niall this is Marcel, Zack, and Johnny. Boys this is Niall, he will be showing us around today.”

The blonde waved shyly at the boys. He stared at each of them. Marcel wore huge nerdy glasses and had his curly hair slicked back. He looked adorable with his big brown eyes and tall skinny body. Johnny had blue eyes and short brown hair. He was wearing glasses as well, but they weren’t big like Marcel’s. Zack had black hair and the best cheekbones Niall had ever seen. Leeroy was big and bulky and seemed perfect to cuddle with. He had brown puppy dog eyes. The four boys reminded the blonde of One Direction but he knew he would never meet them. Niall was not worthy enough to go to their concert. He deserved his miserable life. 

“Well it’s great to meet you Niall” Marcel said, extending his hand to the blonde so they could shake hands.

The handshake was awkward and long. Niall wasn’t really sure what to do and held onto the boy’s hand too long. Blushing the blonde gave a sheepish grin and looked at his feet. Marcel felt his heart flutter. This blonde kid was really cute and adorable.

Johnny jumped off the table and whined “Guys I really don’t want to go to school today. Can we skip?”

Zack and Leeroy looked at each other, grinning. Sometimes Johnny could act immature and he was the oldest. “It doesn’t matter with me” Zack said, putting his hands up in surrender.

Johnny quickly turned to Leeroy and gave the boy, his best pout face. Leeroy chuckled “Let’s leave it up to Niall.”

“What me no it’s fine. You guys can go out and have fun. I mean it is quite strange for you guys to be starting school on a Friday.” Niall said.

“I totally agree which is why you and I should leave” Johnny replied.

“I think you guys would have a lot more fun without me. Besides I really don’t deserve to be happy.” Niall sighed.

Marcel shook his head “That is nonsense everyone deserves to be happy Niall even you. We aren’t taking no for an answer. It’s either you come with us or we stay at school all day, bored out of our minds.”

“Fine I’ll go with you.” Niall groaned. Why were these boys being so nice to him he wondered.

Leeroy smiled and hooked his arm with Niall’s. Marcel went to the other side of the blonde and they walked out of the front door. Johnny got behind the wheel of the car and Zack sat in the passenger seat. Leeroy and Marcel squeezed Niall in the middle of them. The blonde began giggling in the car in pure delight. He stopped laughing when he heard his voice. He hadn’t heard his laugh in so many years, it sounded so foreign to him.

“You have a really cute laugh” Leeroy cooed.

Niall’s cheeks turned red and he stuttered “Thanks”.

“Are you ticklish Niall?” Marcel asked.

Niall didn’t respond and Marcel took that as a yes. The boy started tickling the blonde. The car filled with Niall’s screams of joy and contagious laughter. Now every boy was laughing hysterically along with Niall.

The five boys arrived at the mall and began exploring. Leeroy watched Niall start to leave his shell and open more. The blonde was very carefree and funny. He would make silly faces at the boys and continually make them crack up. Niall skipped ahead of the boys and headed straight towards the candy store. The blonde stared in through the window and his blue eyes lit up in wonder.

“He is adorable” Zack commented, watching Niall walk into the candy store.

“I know. I really like him” Marcel added.

“Same here.” Leeroy agreed.

The 3 boys turned to Johnny but saw he was in the store with Niall. The two boys in the store were cracking jokes at each other there laughs echoed in the store.

“I think Johnny likes Niall too.” Zack commented before entering the candy shop. What surprised Leeroy the most was the blonde’s foul mouth and dirty mind. That boy might have an innocent face but he was not very innocent on the inside. Niall would mutter curse words under his breath when he fall trip or do something stupid.

“Let’s get lunch” Leeroy suggested.  
Zack, Marcel, and Johnny nodded their heads in agreement. Johnny’s stomach made a loud growl which had Niall laughing hysterically. Johnny smiled to himself obviously proud he made the blonde laugh.

“You guys can lunch without me” Niall muttered.

“And why is that” Marcel questioned, looking at the blonde with concern.

“I have no money” Niall said sadly.

Zack chuckled the four boys had more than enough money to pay for the blonde’s lunch. “Don’t worry Niall, we will pay for your food.”

“No it’s fine. I could never ask you to buy me food.” Niall pleaded.

“Niall we aren’t offering we are telling you. Now are you going to tell me what you want or am I just going to have to guess” Johnny sassily replied pulling out his wallet.

The blonde sighed in defeat and told Johnny he wanted Nandos. The five boys got a booth in Nandos and all sat down staring at the menu. Niall didn’t even need to check the menu he already knew what he wanted. The blonde used to eat here all the time with his dad and hadn’t gone back since he died. Niall felt tears threaten to spill down his face so he quickly distracted himself from thinking about his dad.

Leeroy was shocked when Niall ordered his meal. He got 3 whole meals. He couldn’t imagine the skinny little blonde eating all that food, but he gave the boy the benefit of the doubt. Much to his surprise Niall ate every single piece of food off his plate. Johnny’s jaw hung open when the blonde took his last bite of food.

“How the hell did you do that” Johnny questioned.

“Do what?” Niall asked innocently.

“You know make all your food disappear” Johnny replied.

“Yea where did it all go” Marcel added.

The blonde shrugged, trying to hide his big smile. He really liked joking around with these four boys. It almost made him feel normal. The five boys sat around at Nandos for another two hours just talking. They found out Niall’s dad had died and he was bullied. The blonde never told them about his mom and what he thought of himself. The more Niall talked the more the four boys grew to like Niall. The blonde was into sports just as much as Johnny was and he appreciated art like Zack did. He had a goofy and childish side just like Marcel and Leeroy could already feel himself growing attached to the boy. He felt the need to protect Niall from any harm.

Niall looked down at his watch “I guess we should head back to school so you guys can catch the One Direction concert.”

“Shit” Johnny cursed “I totally forgot about that.”

“It’s fine if we head back now you can make it an hour before the show starts” Niall replied.

“Are you going to the concert” Marcel asked, walking out of Nandos.

“No” the blonde sighed.

Zack stopped dead in his track “Why?”.

“I don’t deserve to go.”

“Who told you that” Johnny asked clearly, getting pissed off. Who could ever tell Niall, he didn’t deserve to see his favorite band.

“My mom and the kids at my school” Niall whispered.

“Why” Leeroy yelled wanting to know what the blonde was hiding from them.

“I can’t tell you” Niall cried. He took off running away from the boys. They couldn’t find out about how he killed his dad then they would hate him just like everyone else did. Niall heard the four boys call his name and try to run after him, but the blonde never slowed down. He needed to escape, which is exactly what he did.


	9. Unloved Part 2 (Niall Centric

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because I love you guys so much here is part 2 :)

Niall ran out of the mall with tears running down his face. These people would leave him just like everyone else did. He needed to stay off of the roads so the four boys wouldn’t find him. While walking home flashes of the day went through the blonde’s mind. This was the most fun he had in ages. It almost made him forget how crappy his life really was. He knew he didn’t deserve happiness, but he really wanted it. More than anything Niall just wanted to feel loved again.

The four boys watched in shock as Niall ran off. Zack chased after him, but the blonde was really fast. Before Zack could even reach him Niall was out of the mall and hidden behind the parked cars. The boy turned around and sighed sadly at Leeroy.  
“Let’s head to the school. Hopefully we will see Niall on the side of the road” Leeroy said sadly. The boy was wondering why the blonde had left them. He was really worried Niall was hiding something from the boys.

“I wonder what made him run off” Marcel commented his eyes filling with tears. Johnny pulled the boy in for a bear hug.

Arriving at the car the four boys piled in. Marcel stared at the empty middle seat and sniffed, trying to stop himself from crying.

“Shall we get ready for the concert?” Leeroy suggested beginning to take off his wig. Marcel took off his huge glasses and unslicked his hair. He wiped make-up remover on his face. What was once Marcel now stood Harry Styles from One Direction. The other boys followed Harry’s lead. Leeroy or Liam took off his wig and fake nose while Louis peeled off fake body hair and his fake glasses. Zayn wiped to make-up off his face and stared at Liam, “Today definitely did not go as planned.”

“Yea I know. We were supposed to go around to classes and try to be normal high schoolers instead we skipped school.” Liam commented.

“I mean that is what I normally did when I went to high school” Louis added in smirking. Harry shot him a look and Lou defensively said “What I liked skipping school so sue me.”

“I really like Niall” Zayn sighed thinking about the adorable blonde haired boy. The might have met him a couple of hours ago, but he just clicked with the boys. It was like they were all meant to be.

“I kinda want to skip the concert and find him. I want to get to know him more.” Harry added.

“How about this we do the concert and then go find Niall afterwards. Maybe we can spend the rest of our break in Ireland and get to know the blonde a little better. Since you all seem to be so infatuated with him.” Liam

The boys drove down the highway with their eyes glued to the road looking for the boy with the blonde hair. With much disappointment One Direction arrived at the school without Niall. "I hope he is okay" Zayn sighed.

"Maybe he decided to come to the concert" Liam chimed in trying to raise the boys' spirits. Walking into the school the four boys were greeted with screaming fans. Harry really wasn't in the mood to sing tonight he just wanted to find Niall and cuddle with him all night long. Louis put on a fake smile and waved at the crowd looking around for those big blue eyes. The principal led the boys to an empty classroom so they could warm up.

Niall ran home covered in sweat and out of breath. The distance between his house and the mall was 3 miles. It looked like the boy had just gotten out of the shower. He waited outside the door trying to catch his breath. Niall looked around to see if his mom was home and didn't see her car. With a slight smile on his face the blonde opened the door.

The house was pitch black when he walked in. Weird he thought as he felt the wall for the light switch. Turning on the light Niall saw his mom sitting on the couch glaring at him toying with a knife in her hand. The blonde gasped and fell against the wall.

"So I saw you at the mall today. Who do you think you are eating at your father's favorite restaurant? The nerve you have amazes me. Time for your punishment. Let's see your little friends save you now" Maura screamed, getting up for the couch.

Niall whimpered "Please mom I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be happy I know I don't deserve it, but please don't hurt me." The blonde cried he knew tonight was the night he would die. He knew once the bearing started it wouldn't stop until he wasn't breathing. Niall realized he didn't want to die. He wanted to have fun like today to the mall every day. Crying the boy ran upstairs to his room.

Maura chased her son upstairs and grabbed his ankle. Niall fell face first into the top stair and groaned in pain. He kicked his mom until she let go of his foot and crawled up the stair. Maura screamed when Niall kicked her face in pure anger. She looked at the boy she gave birth to with pure hate. Getting up Maura charged down the hallway where Niall was shutting his bedroom door.

"Please mom leave me alone. I swear I'll go away and you'll never see me again" Niall begged locking his door. He heard Maura banging on the door trying to get it open. "You are no son of mine. You'll be going hell a place where you deserve to go" Maura yelled stabbing her knife in Niall's door.

Pacing back and forth Niall tried to figure out what to do. Falling on the stair seemed to have broken Niall's nose. The boy's shirt was now crimson red from his bleeding nose. Niall thought maybe he could jump out his window and run to school where his friends were. But he worried his friends hated him now for leaving them at the mall. His heart couldn't handle anyone else turning on him. He really liked those four boys from his school. They treated Niall like he was human and wasn't a mistake. If only they could take him away from his horrible life.

Niall finally decided to head to school if the boys weren't there and turned against him, he would simply let his mom kill him. He believed he deserved his horrible death, but the blonde hoped he could escape it. Climbing out the window Niall heard his door get kicked open. The crazy woman entered his room, her hair was a mess and makeup was running down her face. Her clothes were a mess and she had a murderous look in her eyes. "Niall honey where are you” she called our sweetly "if you come out now I swear your death will be less painful."

The blonde jumped out his window and hit the ground hard. His left ankle took most of the impact. Niall fell on the ground clutching his ankle he couldn't believe he just jumped out of a two story building. Maura stuck her head out of the window "Wait there you bastard. I'm going to rip you apart."

Niall pushed off the ground and limped away from his house. Blood dripped on the ground from his nose. He needed to get to school, he hoped his mom wouldn't try to kill in front of the whole school. He heard the front door open and his crazy mother emerged from it. The woman was unrecognizable as she ran after her son. She taunted her son calling out his name sweetie acting motherly. Niall was about a block ahead of Maura and could still hear her calling his name. They made him pick up the pace he needed to get to the school.

The blonde felt hope when he saw his school in the distance. Darting toward the school Niall felt his ankle throbbing. He threw open the front doors and hobbled down the hallway.

One Direction started the concert, but it was obvious that that weren't into their performance even the students noticed. The boys weren't goofing around like usual. Harry couldn't act happy knowing Niall was not in the audience. Louis tried so hard to be his joking self, but whenever he joked around Niall popped into his mind. Liam kept watching the back doors hoping they would open to reveal the blonde. Zayn stayed mostly in the back so people wouldn't see his tears.

The hallways were empty when Niall was running down them. He felt the vibrations from the concert and ran in that direction. He couldn't hear his mom anymore, which made him feel relieved. The blonde grasped the door knob and pulled the auditorium door open.

Light flooded into the auditorium when Niall opened the door. He was greeted by angry glares. Josh was jamming out to the music when he saw the blonde. He felt his mind fill with rage. He needed to teach the boy a lesson. How dare he show his face at the concert. Josh moved to where Niall was standing. He saw the blonde looking for someone his blue eyes darting around the room. Josh ran up to the boy and shoved him against the wall.

Grabbing him by the hair Josh dragged Niall out of the auditorium. “What the hell are you doing here” Josh grumbled.

Josh let go of Niall’s hair, noticing he ripped some of the boy’s hair out. “You were looking for someone weren’t you” Josh questioned.

Niall didn’t respond which earned him a kick in the stomach. “Was it the boys you ditched school with?” Josh demanded.

The blonde nodded his head, his lip quivering. The bully smirked “Aww poor Niall. Those boys lied, they don’t go here. They just got close to you so they could you just like everyone else. I can’t believe you actually thought you had friends. Come on Niall how gullible and stupid can you be. Everyone hates you and wants you dead. So do the world a favor and just die.” Finishing his statement Josh headed back into the auditorium to watch the concert. He left a sobbing Niall on the floor.

Harry saw the doors open and felt his spirits rise. He was hoping it was Niall. Looking around Harry couldn’t make out the face of the person who entered the room. It was too dark and the mysterious boy was to far in the back of the auditorium. Liam and Zayn noticed the door open. Zayn actually came to the center of the stage and looked around in the crowd. Then the door opened again and closed again. “Do you think that was Niall” Louis whispered to the other three boys. Zayn shrugged, but he was hoping it was true.

“Maybe he was looking for us and didn’t see us because we were in disguise” Harry suggested. Suddenly the door reopened and a lone figure walked in.

“Hey you” Zayn yelled pointing at the person who walked in “Come up here on stage”. Liam nodded at Zayn and the boys waited impatiently to see if the boy was Niall.

Louis sighed sadly when the kid came on stage. It wasn’t their Niall. Liam put on a fake smile and walked over “So what is your name kid?”

“I’m Josh”

Liam stared at Josh the kid looked really familiar. Then it hit him Josh was the person who was beating up Niall in the morning. “You're the kid who beat up Niall” Liam accused.

“Yea so, everyone does. Why do you care?” Josh questioned.

Zayn growled “Because Niall is the most amazing person.”

“No he’s not. His own mom hates him. Everyone does. Niall deserves every punch he gets. He didn’t deserve to see you guys so I dragged him out of the auditorium. You’re welcome by the way for kicking him out.” Josh said. “How did you know I was beating up Niall this morning?”

“I was the kid who defended him you asshole” Liam yelled getting up in Josh’s face.

Louis was already running toward the bully with his fist balled up “How dare you speak that way about Niall”.

Zayn reached Josh first and pushed the kid on the ground. Harry stopped Louis from punching him “Come on let’s go find Niall. He is probably still here” Harry suggested.

The three boys agreed and they jumped off the stage. They ran to the exit weaving their way through the crowd. Zayn and Louis got out first and saw blood on the ground but no Niall. They saw drag marks and knew someone had taken the blonde against his will. Zayn and Louis followed the trail of blood not waiting for the others.

Niall was a mess on the floor. All his greatest fears had come true. No one cared nor loved Niall. He could die at any moment and no one would care. “Niall so glad I found you” Maura said creeping up behind her son.

The blonde jumped and stared at his mom. “You can do whatever you want with me. I won’t fight back. Just kill me.”

“Who I am to argue with your requests. I shall gladly oblige” Maura replied, smirking evilly at Niall, “Get up boy I don’t have all night”.

“I can’t I sprained my ankle jumping from my window” Niall whimpered. He couldn’t even walk to his own death.

Maura sighed “You are such a disappointment.” The woman grabbed the boy’s hurt ankle and dragged him down the hallway. She made sure to dig her nails in the ankle so her son would cry in pain.

The blonde whimpered and flinched from the pain, but showed no sign of resistance. The boy stopped fighting for his life and was embracing the idea of death. Maura brought Niall to the empty gym and helped the blonde to his feet. Once standing up the woman punched him square in the face, sending Niall right back to the ground.

She proceed to kick Niall repeatedly in the stomach, causing the boy to throw up all over the warm. “Disgusting” Maura remarked. Niall had blood oozing out of his nose and lip. He could no longer stand on his own. Maura grabbed her son by the collar and brought him to his feet. The woman slammed Niall onto the ground. Niall screamed on impact feeling his head explode in pain. Maura smacked his head again on the gym floor. Seeing stars Niall fought hard to stay awake. The back of his head began bleeding.

Maura pulled out her knife and spun it around. She whistled a lullaby smiling lovely at her son. “This is might be the happiness moment of my life Niall. Have fun in hell.”

She raised the knife above Niall’s chest. The blonde closed his eyes knowing it was the end. No happy memories flashed through his head because he had none. He just wanted his life to be over. The boy was in so much pain that if he moved his body slightly agony ran through his body. Niall hoped the knife getting stabbed into his chest wouldn’t hurt, but with his luck he would feel everything.

Maura brought the knife down and was about to stab it into her son’s breathing chest, when a voice screamed “NO!”

The woman hesitated for a second and was tackled to the ground by Louis. “What the hell” Louis yelled at the woman. He didn’t understand how anyone could hurt Niall like that.

Zayn slid over to the injured boy and put Niall’s head in his lap. “Niall you’re going to be okay. We are here now” Zayn whispered, trying to soothe the boy.

Niall cracked his eyes open and saw much to his surprise Zayn from One Direction. “Why are you helping me? Shouldn't you be at the concert.” the blonde questioned.

Before Zayn could answer Maura pushed Louis onto the ground and charged at Zayn and Niall. She shoved Zayn away from Niall and grabbed her son. Wrapping her hands around the blonde’s neck, she began squeezing the life out of Niall. Zayn tried getting up by Maura kicked him to the ground. “Please stop” he sobbed feeling helpless.

Louis groaned, running towards Maura. The running boy was tackled by Josh, who had just entered the gym. Maura sent a grateful look toward the bully and went back to giving Niall her full attention. Her son’s eyes were bloodshot and he was beginning to fight back a little less. When he hit her arms it was weak and pitiful. Tears glistened in his eyes as he stared directly at his mom. Niall’s face turned red and his vision got clouded. The blonde finally felt himself slip away and closed his eyes. Maura watched Niall’s chest stop moving and a huge smile spread across her face.

The victory was short lived when Harry and Liam entered the gym. Harry ran to help Louis and Zayn. Josh seemed to have both boys pinned to the ground. Harry kicked the bully off of Zayn and Louis and punched the kid in the face. Louis delivered the final blow which resulted in Josh lying unconscious on the ground.

Liam pushed Maura off of Niall. The boy noticed the blonde’s chest wasn’t moving. “Niall” Liam screamed before doing CPR on the boy. Maura laughed watching Liam try to save Niall.

“He’s dead” she giggled.

“How can you be so happy about that” Zayn sobbed from Harry’s arms.

“Because he deserved it. That monster on the floor dead, murdered my husband” Maura said.

Louis yelled “That is a lie. Your husband died because he didn’t wear a seat belt”.

Maura shook her head no and continued to laugh on the floor. Zayn watched as Liam tried to revive Niall. Louis crawled next to the blonde “Please Niall. Please wake up. I swear if you breathe, we will never treat you badly.” Louis pleaded.

“Don’t leave us Niall” Harry begged.

Liam breathed into Niall’s mouth and was greeted by the blonde coughing in his face. Groaning in pain Niall opened his eyes.

Zayn slid next to Niall and grabbed his hand. Maura screamed in envy and made another attempt to kill her son. But this time Niall had his four protectors with him. The woman didn’t even have the chance to get off the ground before Harry pounced on her.

“You will never hurt my Niall again” Harry growled. The four boys stood protectively around Niall until the ambulance came. The blonde kept going in and out of consciousness.

Josh was expelled from the school and faced criminal charges. Maura on the other hand was arrested by the police and the boys were informed she would never see the light of day again.

“Serves that bitch right” Louis commented and the three other boys agreed.

Niall had a concussion, broken ankle, broken ribs, and needed to get several stitches. The four boys all sat around in his room waiting for the boy to wake up. No one from Niall’s school came to visit the injured boy.

The blonde woke up panicking. He hated waking up in unfamiliar rooms. Taking in his surroundings, he began to wonder why he wasn’t dead. Then he saw the four sleeping boys in the chairs in front of his bed. Niall gasped, he couldn’t believe One Direction was in his hospital room. 

Harry opened his eyes and stared at Niall. “Look who finally decided to wake up” he joked.

“Why are you guys here?” Niall asked.

“Because we’re your friends” Harry replied.

The blonde bursted out laughing “I have no friends. I thought I did, but turns out they left me just like everyone else”.

The other three boys woke up to Niall’s laughter, but stared at the boy with pity when he finished talking.

“Who left you Niall” Louis asked sadly.

Niall sighed, he didn’t have much to lose so why not tell One Direction about his friends from the mall “I met these four really cool boys. They were named Marcel, Leeroy, Zack, and Johnny. We hung out and I really liked them. I went to find them at the school, but Josh told me they weren’t real and were just pretending to be my friend. Now I’m going to ask you again why are you guys in my hospital room”.

Liam smiled “Because we are the four boys from the mall Niall. We were just in disguise.”

Niall’s jaw hung open, he couldn’t believe he was at the mall with One Direction. Louis laughed and flopped down on the bed next to Niall.

“I’m so sorry that you were treated so badly Niall”, Louis confessed “But today we are going to change that.”

“How?” Niall asked not wanting to get his hopes up.

“Well we were wondering if you wanted to come live with us. You know just escape from Ireland and start over.” Zayn suggested.

“Listen we might have known for a day, but we really like you Niall and want to get to know you better.” Liam added in smiling.

“So please say you will come stay with us” Harry begged, giving Niall his best puppy dog eyes.

Niall weighed the pros and cons of going with the boys. Should he stay in a town where everyone hates him and wants him dead? Or go with the boys who will give him the friendship and love he truly deserved. Niall smiled after making his decision “I think I’ll go with you guys”.  
“I promise you won’t regret it” Harry said jumping with joy.

“I think I already am” Niall sassed earning a smile from Louis.

“Excuse me Niall but I am the sassy one of the group” Louis remarked.

Liam rolled his eyes at the boys, Niall already fit in with the boys perfectly. Zayn cuddled up next to the blonde as they waited for the doctor to come in.

Once Niall was released from the hospital, he traveled around the world with One Direction. The blonde always had a smile on his face. A new side of him came out as he traveled around with the boys. He felt totally at home and became carefree. Niall’s laugh was a sound the boys grew so used too, because they heard it every day. Liam, Zayn, Louis, and Harry all began falling in love with the blonde.

Sometimes Niall would feel sad when remembering his mom and school. He would wonder if he really deserved all this love. One Direction would simply remind Niall how amazing he was and the blonde would go back to being happy. 

“Guys I think it’s time to tell Niall about our relationship and see if he wants to join it” Liam suggested when Niall was in the shower.

“I want to tell him, but what if he doesn’t accept it or rejects us” Zayn replied.

“I don’t want to risk him leaving us. I can’t live without that boy” Harry added.

“Boys I think we should tell him. I know he won’t leave us. It might freak him out, but I don’t want to hide the relationship from him anymore.” Louis said.

Harry sighed “Fine.”

“Good we’ll tell him when he gets out of the shower” Liam responded sitting down on the couch.

The four boys heard the water turn off in the bathroom and they all got ready. It was time for the moment of truth. Harry’s heart started racing when the door opened, revealing a soaking wet Niall. He gave the guys a confused look when he saw them watching him from the couch. Niall rubbed the towel on his dripping wet hair and asked “What’s wrong guys”.

Liam motioned for Niall to sit down in the chair and said “We need to tell you something Ni”.

Panic took over Niall were they kicking him out. “Did I do something wrong? Are you kicking me out” Niall croaked tears already threatening to spill down his face.

“Don’t cry Ni”, Louis cooed “It’s nothing bad”.

The blonde let out a breath of relief and whispered “Good because I thought we were going to leave me”.

“We would never leave you. We love you too much too.” Harry responded.

“What we wanted to talk about is the four of us. We have been hiding something important from you” Liam confessed.

“What is it?” Niall asked, feeling his voice shrink. He was getting really worried. Niall felt himself shaking in the chair.

Zayn coughed and declared “The four of us are in a relationship”.

Niall stared at the four boys and started laughing. Tears went down the blonde’s face. He fell on the floor rolling around laughing hysterically. Zayn shot Liam a worried look.

“Oh god he lost it. Niall has gone crazy” Louis joked.

“What’s so funny” Harry asked, ignoring Louis’s comment.

Niall stopped laughing and crawled back on the chair and chuckled “Guys I have known about your relationship since the first week of living with you. I thought you knew that I knew. I mean you guys’ kinda suck at keeping it a secret. You guys are really loud at night.”

Harry blushed and sunk down in the couch embarrassed. He couldn’t believe Niall knew. They were so careful to hide the relationship from him.

Niall continued “The fourth day of staying with you I walked in on Harry and Louis making out. Then later that night Louis was kissing Zayn and Harry you were practically eating Liam’s face. So yeah, I knew about the relationship. I can’t believe how dumb you guys are.”

The four boys didn’t know how to respond to Niall. They were not prepared for his response to be that. “Well that’s not the only thing we wanted to tell you Mr. Smarty Pants” Louis sassed.

“Oh and what’s that” the blonde remarked.

This was the big moment, the moment of truth and Liam started to sweat. Zayn’s whole body was shaking and Harry was having a hard time looking Niall in the eyes.

Louis sighed, looking at his boyfriends “I swear you guys are children. Niall we were wondering if you wanted to join our relationship. We fell in love with you the day we met you at school.”

“It’s true Ni” Liam added feeling a sudden surge of courage “Niall Horan you are the most caring boy and I want to make you happy. I want to make up for all the years you were treated like shit and treat you the way you deserve to be treated.”

“Let us help you feel the love you deserve.” Harry said lovely.

“So will you be our boyfriend” Zayn asked “You will make me the happiest boy in the world if you say yes”.

Niall was speechless. He couldn’t believe how much his life had turned around. Finally he found a life worth living. Niall had loved the boys since he woke up to them in his hospital room. The blonde knew he was no longer unloved and hated because now he has four boyfriends. Niall had found a place where he belonged and already knew the answer to Zayn’s question.

Niall smiled and replied “Of course I’ll be your boyfriend. Where do I sign up?”


	10. The Break-Up Plan (Niall Centric)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys should totally follow me on twitter(NewsieLover1) and tumblr(niallhorangirl8) because I want to talk to you guys and see the people who read my stories.

Louis growled when he was woken by his alarm in the morning. The boy had gotten little to no sleep thanks to Liam blasting music all night. To say the boys’ were having a rough week was an understatement. One Direction seemed to be at each other's throats every second of the day. Louis shuffled out of bed groaning, thinking about how jam packed their day was. It was interview after interview. Opening the door to his bedroom Louis saw Liam sitting on the couch with his headphones on.

Liam took his headphones off when Louis entered the room. “Did you sleep well” Liam asked.

Louis laughed was Liam really playing stupid. “Just fine” Louis said, putting as much venom as he could into his words.

“Is something wrong?” Liam questioned innocently.

“Oh you know I’m just peachy after getting no sleep last night thanks to you”

“What did I do?”

“Don’t play dumb Liam. All I heard last night was your shitty music blasting from your room.”

“My music is not shitty you asshole. Besides I didn’t even have it turned up loud.”

“I’m so glad it wasn’t loud or else it would have kept me up all night”

“I could have sworn I turned it off before I went to sleep”

“Well obviously you didn’t” Louis sassed. The boy was annoyed beyond belief and just wanted to go back to sleep.

Louis walked over to the fridge to eat his leftover food from last night. Opening the door the boy groaned in frustration.

“What is it now” Liam barked. He was not in the mood for a moody Louis. 

Louis groaned “The food is gone.”

“Just eat mine if it will make you happy”

“Yours is gone too.”

Both boys shot each other glaring looks. “I’m going to wake up Niall” Liam declared getting up from the couch.

Louis followed Liam he needed to see if his blonde boyfriend had touched his food. The lights in the room were turned on and Niall hid under his blankets hissing at the light. On the boy’s bed sat the boxes of leftover food. Crumbs were scattered all over the bed and Niall.

“What the hell Niall” Louis screamed scaring his boyfriend.

“Louis calm down” Liam said, placing his hand on Louis’s shoulder.

Louis shrugged his shoulder, making Liam’s arm fall off. “You’re both assholes” Louis said under his breath as he stormed out of the room.

“What did I do” Niall asked.

“Don’t play dumb babe. It was rude to eat our food.”

“But I didn’t do it”

“Niall please stop talking, I’m done with your stupid excuses. Don’t come begging me to defend you next time you decide to piss off Lou. Be ready in 10 minutes we have an interview.”

And with that Liam walked out of the room leaving a very confused Niall. The blonde got dressed quickly and walked to Harry and Zayn’s hotel room. Walking down the hallway Niall heard yelling coming from the boys’ room. Niall opened the door and was greeted with his boyfriends screaming at each other. Zayn looked like he was ready to kill Harry.

“What’s wrong” Niall asked having two sets of eyes glare at him.

“Well Harry thought it would be funny to flush my cigarettes down the toilet and rip up the songs I was writing last night” Zayn yelled taking a menacing step toward Harry.

“I did no such thing. Besides it’s not like the songs you write are any good anyway.” Harry called out taking a step forward clenching his fists.

Zayn charged at Harry tackling the boy to the ground. “Guys please stop fighting” Niall whimpered pushing Zayn off of Harry.

“You’re such a dick Harry” Zayn sighed before slamming the front door shut.

“Why did you do that to Zayn” Niall questioned.

“I didn’t” Harry screamed, leaving the room. Niall stood there all alone feeling like his world was falling apart. Just last week their relationship was fine. Something seemed to snap and now there was never a moment of peace. Niall couldn’t believe how horrible his boyfriends were acting towards each other.

The car ride to the interview was dead silent except for the occasional sigh from Louis or when he would complain about how hungry he was. Whenever he spoke Harry and Zayn would shoot daggers at him. If looks could kill then Louis would most likely be dead.

Niall tried to break the silence, knowing the boys always liked hearing about his nephew Theo and said “Did you guys hear that Theo won his first baseball game the other day. He scored a homerun.”

“Did we ask you how your stupid nephew was doing?” Louis sassed.

Niall sat there with his mouth hanging open

“Didn’t think so. Next time you want to open your mouth please do the world a favor and keep it closed.” Louis said before averting his gaze back to the window.

Niall looked around at the other boys, but was given blank stares. Usually they would have defended him against Louis’s mean comments.

Zayn gave Niall no pity and added in “Please no more talking for the duration of the car ride Niall”.

“Yea. Sorry I’m not really in the mood to hear you talk about your family” Harry murmured.

“Wow Harry way to copy me” Louis shot “Now you finally agree with me. Remember two days ago when he refused to take my side against Zayn.”

“That’s because you were wrong” Harry huffed.

“Whatever just know I’m still pissed at that” Louis hissed.

The interview was awkward to say the least. The boys didn’t joke around like they normally would in other interviews. They sat their stiff in the chairs and only answered questions when they were spoken to directly. Each boy took separate cars back to the hotel. Liam was happy to be alone in the car. He had time to actually hear his thoughts. All he kept thinking about was how angry he was towards Zayn who broke his favorite pair of Dr. Dres. Liam had walked into the bathroom to shower after Zayn had been in there for what felt like hours and saw his blue headphones submerged in the bathtub. Since that argument both boys refused to stay in the same room. 

Harry requested each boy have a separate hotel rooms and Paul their manager gladly obliged. He was tired of waking up to the boys screaming at each other. Harry was pissed at Louis for dying his and Zayn’s hair hot pink. Louis denied doing it and got mad at Harry when he didn’t take his side. Louis claimed Harry never took his side on anything and was holding it against Harry every day. How could Harry believe his boyfriend though when his hands were covered in hot pink dye. Styling had to quickly dye Zayn’s and Harry’s hair back to their original colors before the press noticed. Luckily the hairs looked like their normal selves thanks to One Direction’s amazing stylist. 

Niall tried cheering up his boyfriends individually by going to each of their rooms when they got back from the interview. The first room he went to Louis’s. Knocking on the door the blonde waited a couple moments before he heard the sound of locks being turned.

The door opened a crack and Louis sighed “What do you want? Can’t you see I want to be alone?”

“I just wanted to say sorry for whatever I did earlier. I swear I didn’t eat your food. I love you Lou so please feel better in the morning because I miss my happy boyfriend” Niall cheered.

“Whatever” Louis huffed closing the door on Niall.

The blonde sucked in his breath and took a couple deep breaths to keep himself from crying. With a heavy heart Niall went to Zayn’s room. He gently knocked on the door and heard feet shuffling towards the door.

“Go away Niall” Zayn yelled from inside the room. Zayn saw Niall from the peephole and was not in the mood to deal with the overly enthusiastic blonde. The boy just wanted to sleep and go one hour without getting pissed off at one of the boys.

“Okay” Niall stuttered sadly “Just wanted to let you know I love you and miss my cuddle buddy.”

Niall hoped Zayn would say something but with great disappointment the blonde heard his boyfriend walk away from the door. Niall hoped Harry and Liam wouldn’t treat him the same way. His heart couldn’t handle anymore rejection tonight. Niall knocked on Harry’s door for five minutes.

“Harry” Niall croaked “Open the door. Please don’t give me the silent treatment.”

With no response Niall gave up and whispered “I love you Harry” before walking away. Tears started falling down the blonde’s eyes when he reached Liam’s room.

“Lili, can I come in” Niall begged.

“No Ni I need some time to myself. This relationship is a lot harder than I imagined it would be. If it continues like this I don’t think I can be in this relationship anymore.” Liam said sadly.

Niall gasped were the boys really thinking of breaking up just cause of one bad week. Running back to his room Niall let the tears fall. He plopped down on his bed and sobbed into his pillow the whole night wishing his boyfriends were there to comfort him. Niall prayed this wasn’t the end of their relationship.

In the morning the boys all ignored each other. Niall attempted to make conversation, but was instantly shot down. 

Zayn walked over to the boys looking pissed. He pointed at Liam and yelled “You asshole. Why did you take my painting supplies?”

“Excuse me but how dare you accuse me of something I didn’t do”

“Don’t play dumb I saw my supplies in your room. God I’m so done with this band and its constant lying. I’m so done with this relationship.” Zayn screamed in frustration.

“I’m done too” Harry added.

“Wow Harry still can’t come up with your own opinions” Louis sassed.

“Shut up Lou” Harry yelled, running to the elevator.

Louis sunk into the chair and shrugged Harry off. Niall couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed.

“Guys don’t you think something fishy is happening. Like we all claim we didn’t do those things. Maybe we should believe each other” Niall declared.

“Oh my god Niall can you just shut up. No one cares about your stupid opinion” Louis replied leaving the lobby.

Liam shook his head at the blonde and said “Next time don’t talk unless you have to”.

“Li are we really going to break up over some stupid disagreements this week” Niall croaked.

“I really don’t know Ni. I hope we can work through it, but I just don’t know anymore” Liam said sadly before heading back to his room leaving Niall all alone.

The blonde really needed a drink to get his mind off of the drama. Sighing he left the hotel and headed to the local bar. Walking down the street Niall kept wiping his tears on his shirt. The boy’s face was red and his eyes were bloodshot by the time he reached the bar.

“One pint please” Niall requested resting his head on the bar table.

The bartender looked at the boy with pity. “Relationship problems” he asked.

“You have no idea” Niall chuckled, taking his drink from the man. The blonde took a long sip of the beer and sighed out in relief. A warm fuzzy feeling went through his body and Niall felt a little better. He ordered another drink and went to sit down at one of the booths.

The boy was thinking about the past week when he felt a presence hovering over him. He looked up to see a girl around his age smiling at him. She pulled out a camera and gave Niall a pleading look. Not being able to say no the blonde stood next to the girl for a picture.

Niall put on a fake smile when she handed the camera to the bartender. Just as the man was about to click the button to take the picture the girl quickly smacked her lips against Niall’s lips. The blonde was shocked when the girl did this and immediately pushed her off.

“What the hell?” he asked.

The girl shrugged and looked at the picture. “Thanks for the pic love” she said before leaving the bar.

Niall wiped his lips off feeling disgusted that a random girl had just kissed him. He wondered what made the girl do it, but he decided to not press the issue. She was probably just a huge fan and got a little carried away. After finishing his beer Niall decided to head out. He waved the bartender goodbye and walked towards the exit.

“Good luck with your relationship” the bartender called out.

“Thanks” Niall replied, shutting the door to the bar.

Niall was surprised to find all his boyfriends in his hotel room when he got back from the bar. He hoped that they all had made up while he was gone. A smile spread across the boy’s face thinking about his boyfriends being happy again. He wanted to be able to cuddle with them again just like old times.

“Why are you so happy” Liam asked.

The smile on Niall’s face quickly dropped when he saw how mad the four boys looked.

“What’s wrong guys?” Niall whimpered.

“What’s wrong” Zayn yelled “What’s wrong is our boyfriend was caught making out with a girl.”

“What” the blonde cried.

“Don’t believe us, well here is the picture.” Louis said, shoving the photo in Niall’s face.  
Niall quickly glanced at the article under the picture. It said he was the one who kissed her and she was the one who pushed him off. That little liar he thought.

“Why did you do it” Harry asked, clearly not in the mood for games.

“I didn’t” Niall begged “You have to believe me this article is wrong. She kissed me, but I didn’t kiss back. I pushed her off, but the picture was already taken. I swear I didn’t cheat on you guys. You have to believe me.” 

“I just don’t know what to believe anymore” Liam sighed leaving the room.

“Harry” the blonde whimpered “Please you have to trust me.”

Harry shook his head and went back to his room.

“I’m so sick of you Niall. Always playing innocent. I never thought you would be the one to stab me in the back and break my heart. Well I hope you're happy Niall because you broke my heart” Louis cried, running out of the room with tears running down his face.

“I’m so sorry” Niall muttered.

“Good job Niall” Zayn said following Louis “Tomorrow don’t show your face at breakfast.”

Niall fell on the couch crying. His whole world was breaking apart and there was nothing he could do about it. He was mad no one believed, but he was also mad at himself for getting himself in this situation. Sighing Niall went into his room and began packing his suitcase. He didn’t want to cause his boyfriends anymore pain. The blonde was catching the next flight to Ireland.

Liam woke up to a banging on his door. Groaning he checked the clock and saw it was 3 in the morning. He wrapped a pillow around his head to block out the sound. The knocking never stopped so Liam walked over to the door.

“What do you want” he yelled not even checking to see who the person was. Liam blinked a couple of times so his eyes could adjust to the hallway light and saw the person was Paul.

“Emergency meeting in 5 minutes at Harry’s room. Harry is getting Louis and I’m getting Niall. You go get Zayn now.” Paul ordered.

Liam was taken back. He had never seen Paul so serious and it kind of scared Liam.

The boy ran to Zayn’s door and banged on it. An angry Zayn appeared in the doorway.

“You better have a good reason for waking me up” Zayn growled.

“Paul called an emergency meeting at Harry’s room so come on” Liam declared taking Zayn’s arm. Liam practically dragged his boyfriend into the hotel room.

Going in the room Liam saw a tired looking Harry, who kept yawning, a pissed off Louis, and a very worried looking Paul.

“Where’s Niall” Liam asked, seeing the blonde was in the room.

“So typical of him not to show up. Let’s start the meeting without him” Harry muttered.

“We will talk about Niall later, but there is a reason I called you all here” Paul declared.

“Just get on with it” Louis shouted.

Paul looked sadly at the boys before continuing “Okay so as you know Simon and management don’t like your little relationship. All those horrible things that happened this week was because of management. Louis they kept you up all night with Liam’s music and let you blame Liam. They took the food and planted it on Niall. They have done everything this week and I’m so sorry I took part in it. But the last straw for me was hiring a girl to kiss Niall and take a picture of it. She made up a fake story. Management wanted you to break up but I hated seeing you guys so unhappy. I’m so sorry I hope you can one day forgive me.”

Silence filled the room before Louis cried “I’m so sorry I was a dick all week. I should have listened to you guys.”

“Zayn I didn’t mean it when I said your song writing was bad. It is really good actually. I’m sorry I was a jerk.” Harry chimed in.

Liam said “I’m sorry for blaming you Zayn for breaking my headphones.”

“Its okay” Zayn replied “Sorry Lou for yelling at you for dying my hair”.

“Actually that was me” Louis confessed.

“Louis” all the boys groaned.

“What I thought it would be funny” Louis muttered.

“If I wasn’t in such a forgiving mood, I would probably be chasing you around the room” Zayn said.

“Good thing you love me then” Louis joked.

“What the hell Lou” Harry said “Why were you giving me such a hard time this week when you actually dyed our hair.”

“I was offended, you didn’t take my side”

“But you were the one that dyed me and Zayn’s hair”

“And your point is”

Harry groaned “Sometimes I just don’t get you Lou”. Harry smiled at Louis to show he had forgiven him.

The room suddenly erupted into more sorry’s and ended with all the boys hugging each other. “I missed you guys” Zayn said, kissing Harry’s forehead.

“Let’s go find Ni” Liam suggested “He’s the one we really need to apologize to.”

“Yea we are going to have to make it up to him big time” Louis said.

“I bet just getting him Nandos would be good” Zayn chuckled.

Paul cleared his throat and said “And that is the other thing I wanted to talk to you boys about. You see Niall wasn’t exactly in his room”.

“What do you mean, where is he” Harry questioned

The man pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and read “Dear boys I am so sorry I hurt you. But I can assure you that you won’t be seeing me anymore. I’ll be out of your hair forever. I’m sorry it had to come to this. Just know I will always love you.”

“Oh no” Harry cried “We have to stop him”.

“Where do think he’ll go” Zayn asked.

“He is going home to Ireland” Liam said “And we have to stop him.”

The four boys ran down the hallway to the car. Louis jumped in the driver’s seat and slammed on the gas before any of the boys had put on their seatbelts. The rules of the highway were all being broken and Liam didn’t care he just wanted to get Niall back.

"What we are doing is so cliché" Lou joked. He knew how much Niall loved romantic movies and hoped this would help in winning him back.

"I hope we don't miss the plane" Harry sighed.

"Don't worry even if we do, we will fly straight to Ireland and get him back" Liam exclaimed.

The boys were not going to let Niall slip away. They loved him way too much. Sure they treated him crappy the whole week, but the four boys would make it up to Niall. Pulling up to the airport Louis didn't even park the car. He just left it in the front of the airport with the keys still in the ignition. Normally Liam would have scolded his boyfriend but he didn't really care. Zayn was the first out of the car and waited impatiently for the others to get out.

"Hurry up" Zayn nagged "I really want to go find Niall. I'm already missing him."

"We're coming." Harry said climbing out of the car.

Once the boys were all out of the car they took off running in the airport. What they didn't realize was how silly they looked. The four boys were still in their pajamas. Liam only had a pair of boxers on with a robe covering his chest. Harry had sweatpants on and pink bunny slippers, but no shirt. Goosebumps covered his body when Harry entered the chilly airport. Louis's hair was sticking up in a hundred different directions and he had no shoes or socks on. Zayn had on his striped pj pants and a loose fitting black shirt. All he had on his feet though, were a pair of thin socks. 

The airport workers watched as four boys who looked like they just got out of bed, run past them. They laughed to themselves thinking it was teenagers just being teenagers. Harry turned back to them and asked "Can you show us where your flights to Ireland are?"

The one worker pointed left and the boys nodded thanks and took off running down the hallway.

"How are we going to get past airport security" Liam asked.

"Leave it to me" Zayn replied.

Louis nodded at Zayn feeling himself run out of breath from the constant running. He knew they looked stupid. Who wouldn't laugh at four boys in their pajamas running in the airport? He bet the people thought they were trying to catch a flight. Luckily for One Direction the airport was not crowded since it was so early in the morning.

The four boys saw security come into view and Zayn took the lead. At some point during their running Harry had abandoned his slippers so he could keep up with his boyfriends.

"Please let us pass, we need to stop our boyfriend" Zayn cried "We were dicks and need to stop him from getting on the plane."

“Just go through the metal detector and if it doesn't go off, you can continue chasing your boyfriend" the security officer said slightly amused. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. We'll as people say there is a first time for everything. The machine never went off so the officers let One Direction pass.

"Good luck" the officer called out.

"Thanks" Liam replied.

Louis read the signs and saw the flight to Ireland was leaving in 5 minutes. Even though the four boys were out of breath and constantly panting they were hit with a new wave of adrenaline when they realized how close they were to Niall. They needed to make it down the long hallway in order to stop the plane.

"Come on" Zayn yelled, taking a deep breath and sprinting down to the flight. The boys followed Zayn's lead. Harry began falling behind and realized he needed to work out more. Liam saw the lady closing the gates to the plane and screamed out "WAIT!"

The startled woman looked up and saw the four boys run towards her.

"Tickets please" the woman said.

"Please you have to let us in" Liam begged, seeing the woman's name was Morgan "Morgan we were jerks to the boy we loved and we have to win us back."

"Help us win him back" Harry pleaded.

"We won't stay on the flight long just let us talk to him" Louis begged getting down on his eyes. The four boys gave her puppy dog eyes and pouted their lips.

"Why does this always happen to me" Morgan mumbled "Why do I have to deal with the weirdoes?"

Seeing the boys look so genuine and sad Morgan knew she couldn't say no. The flight wasn't that crowded anyway so another 5 minutes on the ground wouldn't kill anyone.

Sighing Morgan radioed the captain saying "Natalie keep the flight grounded until I say so. I have four boys here who are trying to win back their boyfriend."

"Aww that is so cute. Roger that I shall be awaiting your order. Tell me if the boys win their boyfriend back. You know I love a good romance story" Natalie replied.

"Fine" Morgan sighed. Turning back to the boys she said "You have 5 minutes."

"Thank you Morgan you don't understand how grateful we are" Zayn said hugging the lady.

"Go on and win back your man" the woman said opening the door.

Liam's heart was racing when he entered the plane. His eyes shot around looking for the familiar blonde hair, he woke up to every morning. Louis spotted Niall first sitting in the back of the plane with his head down. The blonde hair was covered by a beanie hat and Harry could hear Niall sniffing. He was obviously crying and trying to hide it.

Zayn felt his heart break a little seeing his Niall so sad and broken. "Ni" Zayn cooed getting his boyfriend's attention.

Niall slowly lifted his head and was surprised to see Harry, Zayn, Liam, and Louis all next to him. Zayn and Harry were standing on the seats in front of him and Liam sat down next to the blonde. Louis stood in the aisle looking at Niall with apologetic eyes.

"What are you doing here" Niall croaked "I thought you all hated him." Tears fell down his face and Liam gently wiped them off.

"We came here to say how sorry we all are.” Harry cried.

“Yea it was management that was messing with us the whole week. We are sorry we ever blamed you” Zayn said.

“Do forgive us Ni” Louis begged.

Niall wiped his eyes and sighed “I don’t know. I get management did all those things, but they didn’t make you say all those horrible things to me. You refused to believe me when I said I didn’t kiss the girl. A relationship is built on trust and you guys obviously don’t trust me.”

Niall continued “Just let me go home. I want to go see my nephew who you guys seem to not care about. If our relationship can’t handle one week of hell than how are we going to last?”

Zayn’s vision clouded with tears and he pleaded “I was wrong. I should have opened the door that night. We were all wrong and we hurt you. Just don’t leave us”

“Niall hear us out okay and if we don’t convince we will let you go to Ireland but we will be going with you. Because there is no way in hell I’m letting you go” Louis declared.

“Fine” Niall snapped crossing his hands and looking at his boyfriends. It would take a lot to convince him to stay.

Liam decided to go first and said “Niall the first time I met you was at the X-Factor and I knew you were something special. You made me go to cloud 9 and I fell in love with you. Niall I took you for granted. I took your laugh, smile, and personality for granted and I’m so sorry. If I could take it back, I would. Niall Horan I am in love with you and don’t want to lose you over something so stupid. I swear I will make it up to you everyday if you give me the chance. Niall I love you.”

Louis wiped his eyes before he joked, “Well I guess I will follow that up. You know I’m not the best with words so forgive me Ni. I am an asshole. I am probably the worst boyfriend in the world and yet you put up with me Niall. You laugh at everything I do and have never gotten annoyed of me. I can’t live without you. You're the yin to my yang. Without you there is no me. I am sorry I blamed you for anything. This week was a bad week and I swear it will never be this horrible again. Weeks like this make relationships stronger and I know we will last forever. Niall you are the glue to this relationship. You hold us together and without you we would fall apart. Niall I love you and I’m begging for you to give me another chance.” Louis finished his statement on his knees in front of Niall.

Niall didn’t know how to respond. He choked back on his tears and looked away from Louis.

“I guess I’ll go next” Zayn said. The boy cleared his throat and blew his nose saying “Niall you are the light of my world. Whenever I’m sad you always cheer me up. When we first went on tour I was a wreck. I missed my family and wanted to quit, but you made me stay. You made life easier and more enjoyable. You showed me such beauty in the world. Niall you’re my muse. I know I fucked up this week. I can understand if you never forgive me. But I will never give up on trying to win over your heart. I love you with all my heart and if you give me the chance I’ll never let you go.”

Everyone turned to see what Harry was going to say. The boy fidgeted in his seat not liking all the attention. “No pressure I see” Harry said nervously. “Niall I can’t put how much you mean to me into words. It is impossible. Your beauty and kindness cannot be summed up. You don’t deserve us. No one will ever be worthy enough for you. But if you get off the plane and come with us I swear I will prove my worth. You will never regret deciding to get off the plane. I love you does not truly express my feelings for you. But until a greater word is invented Niall Horan I love you and I am begging you to give me a second chance.”

Niall looked down at his lap taking in what had just happened.

Liam started humming the beat to Stand Up, a song from their first album Up All Night and the other three boys caught onto the plan. The four boys sang

“From the moment I met you, everything changed  
I knew I had to get you, whatever the pain  
I had to take you and make you mine (take you and make you mine)

I would walk through the desert  
I would walk down the aisle  
I would swim all the oceans just to see you smile  
Whatever it takes is fine (whatever it takes is fine)

Oh oh ohh oh  
So put your hands up  
Oh oh ohh oh  
'Cause it’s a stand up  
I won’t be leaving  
‘Til I finish stealing  
Every piece of your heart  
Every piece of your heart

I know your heart's been broken but don’t you give up  
I’ll be there, yeah I know it to fix you with love  
It hurts me to think that you’ve ever cried (you’ve ever cried)”

Niall still hadn’t looked up yet and Louis was beginning to sweat.

“Plan B” Zayn said and sang “Your hand fits in mine like it's made just for me  
But bear this in mind, it was meant to be  
And I'm joining up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks  
And it all makes sense to me”

The other boys followed Zayn’s lead and joined their boyfriend.

“I know you've never loved the crinkles by your eyes when you smile  
You've never loved your stomach or your thighs, the dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine  
But I'll love them endlessly

I won't let these little things  
Slip out of my mouth  
But if I do  
It's you  
Oh it's you  
They add up to  
I'm in love with you  
And all these little things

You can't go to bed without a cup of tea  
And maybe that's the reason that you talk in your sleep  
And all those conversations are the secrets that I keep  
Though it makes no sense to me

I know you've never loved the sound of your voice on tape  
You never want to know how much you weigh, you still have to squeeze into your jeans  
But you're perfect to me

I won't let these little things  
Slip out of my mouth  
But if it's true  
It's you  
It's you  
They add up to  
I'm in love with you  
And all these little things”

The four boys stopped singing when Niall’s solo came. The blonde lifted his head up his face was red and his eyes bloodshot. “You guys are so cliché” Niall said, a smile forming across his face. How could Niall not forgive his boyfriends when they practically poured their hearts out to him.

“I forgive you. Can we please go back to the hotel?” Niall asked.

Louis sighed in relief he was overjoyed Niall had forgiven him.

“Anything for you Ni” Harry said.

One Direction looked up to see the whole plane watching them. The passengers all broke out in applause and Morgan was rolling her eyes while the captain was jumping up and down excitedly.

“I ship it” the captain said to Morgan.

“Natalie you are so weird. Now go back to captain pit now.” Morgan groaned.

“You’re no fun” Natalie replied, heading back so she could get the plane ready for take-off.

“Well it seems 5 minutes turned into a half an hour” Morgan said to One Direction.

“Yea sorry about that” Zayn replied, rubbing his head.

“Its fine it seemed to make the captain’s night and the passengers didn’t seem to care either. I’m glad everything worked out. And now I’m going to ask you to get off the plane so we can actually take-off” Morgan sassed.

Niall went to stand up but was stopped by Liam. The boy picked up the blonde and carried him out bridal style. Niall blushed and said “You know I can walk Li”.

“I know but I missed you way too much and there is no way in hell I’m letting you go” Liam replied smirking.

Once they left the plane Louis whined “Okay my turn to hold Niall”.

“Fine” Liam huffed handing over the blonde.

“I want him next” Harry called out.

“You guys are acting like children” Zayn remarked. Zayn stayed next to Niall and held the boy’s hand squeezing it like his life depended on it.

Niall started laughing when the boys were walking down the hallway. He laughed so hard tears were falling down his face.

“What’s so funny” Zayn asked sweetly.

“You guys” Niall giggled “You look ridiculous. Harry you don’t even have a shirt on.”

The boys all laughed along with Niall each looking at each other’s appearances. “I’d do anything for you Niall. If it meant running in an airport with no shirt or shoes on then so be it” Harry cooed.

“I really missed you guys” Niall said.

“Don’t worry this will never happen again, I’ll make sure of it. Management is about to get the yelling of a lifetime.” Zayn growled “How dare they try and break us up.”

“Let’s not worry about that now. I just want to get our little Niall home and cuddle him all night.” Liam said.

“I second that” Louis chimed in nuzzling his head on Niall.

“I love you guys” Niall whispered.

“And we love you Niall” the boys responded. Louis placed Niall gently in the car and reluctantly went to the driver’s seat. He wanted to stay on the back with the blonde, but Liam made him drive. Louis watched jealously as Niall was laid out on the laps of Liam, Harry, and Zayn who all squeezed in the back seat.

Niall rested his head on Zayn’s lap. Zayn played with the blonde’s hair and hummed Little Things to the boy. Harry sat in the middle and cuddled up on Niall’s chest. Liam ran his hands up and down Niall’s legs occasionally kissing the blonde’s knee.

The blonde was carried back to his hotel room, but unlike the past week the boys all slept together. Lucky for them the bed was big enough to hold the five boys. Niall was placed in the center of the bed with Zayn and Liam on either side on him. Harry laid out where the pillows normally went and allowed the boys to use him as a pillow. Niall rested his head on Harry’s chest and for the first time that week felt happy and relaxed. Louis slept practically on top of Niall and forced Liam to move over. To make up for Lou taking his spot Liam held Niall’s hand the whole night.

One Direction slept like babies that night. The week of hell was forgotten well not exactly since Zayn went into Simon’s office like a madman the next day. But the boys knew if they could survive a week like that then they could overcome anything together. With their bond even stronger One Direction woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. The first order of business was making up for the lost time that was spent arguing and bickering.

The boys never left the hotel room because they just wanted to be together.

“Niall promise you’ll never leave us again” Harry begged, looking Niall dead in the eyes.

Louis and Zayn watched Niall waiting to hear what their boyfriend would say. Liam felt his heart beat faster waiting for the blonde to respond.

“I promise” Niall said lovely “I could never leave you guys I love you way too much.”

The four boys sighed in relief and knew that they would never let their boyfriend go.

“Love you too Ni” Liam whispered.


	11. Half A Heart (Zayn Centric)

“Zayn please don’t go” Niall begged, clutching onto Zayn’s leg.

Zayn chuckled at his boyfriend. “Niall it’s not like I’m breaking up with you. I’m just leaving the band”.

“Please don’t leave us” Liam pleaded “One Direction is the five of us not four.”

“Yea how can we perform without you? I don’t even want to imagine it” Louis added in.

Zayn looked over at his four boyfriends to see them all crying. The boy felt his lip begin to wobble, but he bit his lip. He needed to stay strong for his boyfriends. Gently, Zayn moved Niall’s hands off of his leg. Niall lay sprawled out on the floor, his blue eyes bloodshot from crying. Liam kneeled down next to the blonde and embraced him in a hug. Liam shushed Niall moving him back and forth.

Louis wanted to say something, anything that would make Zayn stay. But Lou knew this was what Zayn wanted and who was Louis to stop his boyfriend from following his heart. Louis stood in the middle of the room defeated, wiping his falling tears on his sleeve.

It was all up to Harry to convince Zayn to stay in the band. Liam was busy helping Niall. Liam wanted to force Zayn to stay but knew that was not what his boyfriend wanted. So instead Liam distracted himself by soothing Niall even more.

“Are you sure this is what you want” Harry asked. If Zayn said yes then Harry wouldn’t try and fight it, but if he said no Harry wasn’t going to let his boyfriend leave.

“Yes Harry this is what I want. I hate the spotlight and want to be normal. Please know I want this. I still love you guys and we’ll still be together for as long as you want me, but I can’t be in the band anymore. I’m unhappy, I stopped enjoying the concerts and performing.” Zayn cried.

Harry nodded and put his head down his lip beginning to tremble. Fresh tears flowed down Harry’s face when he realized Zayn was leaving the band and there was nothing he could do about it.

“I love you boys” Zayn called out, before shutting the door. Walking down the hallway, Zayn allowed himself to cry. He hated seeing his boyfriends sob. He just wanted to run back in the room and hug and kiss them, but he couldn’t. Zayn needed to leave the hotel before he changed his mind.

Safely in the back of the car Zayn sunk down in the backseat and bawled his eyes out.

*****

The four boys were still in the same positions when Zayn left them. Louis kept watching the door, hoping Zayn would come running back in and say he changed his mind. Harry paced the room beginning to indent the carpet due to his constant walking. Niall’s sobs had calmed down, now the boy could breathe normally. Liam rubbed the blonde’s back feeling his heart shatter into a thousand pieces.

Niall felt like his whole world was falling apart. Who would he mess with during What Makes You Beautiful? Who would make him smile on stage? Who was going to protect him from the fans and haters? Niall didn’t know what he was going to do at the next concert. He needed Zayn; he practically depended on the boy for everything. The blonde closed his eyes and pictured Zayn still in the room with them. He replayed old memories and knew that today everything was going to change. Niall began hiccupping in between his cries. The boy didn’t know how he was going to continue the On The Road Again Tour.

Harry wished he could have seen the signs earlier. The signs showing that Zayn had stopped enjoying performing. There were little hints here and there, but Harry just didn’t notice. Sometimes on stage Harry would see a glint of sadness in Zayn’s eyes, but it would go away right when Zayn saw Harry staring. The boy felt completely lost. Zayn was the one who promised they would stay together. Now he was the first to leave. It could only get worse from here. Harry had no one watching over him on stage anymore. No one to stop him from walking into a fire. Harry didn’t know what he was going to do.

Louis stood defeated. He hoped this was all just a bad dream and he would wake up. Sadly, no matter how hard he pinched himself, Louis never woke up. Lou had just lost his partner in crime. How could the boy prank his boyfriends without Zayn by his side? Louis didn’t know how he going to be able to go on stage into Zayn. Louis would have no one to mess around with during the concert. No one to talk to and joke with in between songs. Louis felt a lonely feeling when he pictured One Direction without Zayn.

Liam lay on the floor next to Niall sobbing. He was daddy direction the one who looked after everyone. The boy felt like he wasn’t doing his job correctly. Liam’s heart was breaking and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He didn’t even want to think about Zayn’s solos. Oh god, he would miss that boy’s voice. Every time Zayn sang Liam could have sworn he saw angels. Now every time Zayn’s solos would come on Liam would feel an absence inside of him.

The four boys were broken and needed each other more than ever to get through Zayn’s departure. Sure Zayn hadn’t broken up with them, but now the boys wouldn’t see him every morning. They would be missing their best mate. One Direction was missing a piece of themselves. And they were expected to finish the tour without Zayn. How could they jump around on the stage knowing Zayn’s spot would be empty?

*******

Zayn arrived at the airport a mess. He was missing four pieces of himself. Sitting alone on the flight back to England the boy put in his ear buds and blocked out the world. He blocked the rumors which drove him crazy and the daily hate he received. Zayn thought of happy times when he was in the group. Smiling he thought of the X-Factor and how he swore it wasn’t the end of One Direction. The X-Factor was when life was simpler. They hadn’t become the biggest boyband in the world. Now Zayn couldn’t even walk down the street without getting chased by fans and paparazzi.

He thought of the last couple of months and how horrible they had been. Zayn had never really enjoyed the fame. He liked sitting quietly in a room by himself and painting. In the band he was never alone, nor had any time to himself. It drove him crazy. At first he tried ignoring the hate and the media, but he could only hold out for so long. He read horrible rumors that he was cheating on his boyfriends all because he was talking to a girl. Zayn hated that the paparazzi could take a simple conversation and turn it into something crazy.

Leaning back Zayn thought about when he stopped enjoying being in the band. Was it the nonstop performances? They boys didn’t have a proper break between the Where We Are Tour and On The Road Again Tour. He remembered when he used to get excited every night before a concert. Now he felt exhausted and couldn’t wait to get off the stage. Singing is supposed to feel fun not be a chore. Sure, he loved the fans, but eventually every person would get tired of the constant screaming.

Zayn’s mom picked him up at the airport and drove him home. Trisha looked at her son with pity, he looked depressed, definitely not happy like his old self. He slept the car ride back. Zayn’s eyes had bags under them and he looked every skinny. Trisha had her husband carry in Zayn and laid him in the spare bedroom. His parents kissed Zayn’s forehead before gently closing the door. 

***** 

“Thank you for coming out today boys. As you know we are here to discuss the tour and future album plans” Paul said sadly.

Niall, who would usually be smiling and laughing, sat quietly in the chair occasionally wiping his eyes. He stared sadly at Zayn’s empty seat. Louis remained silent, not attempting to be his usual sassy self. Harry wouldn’t look at any of the boys and sat in the far corner away from everyone else. Liam was trying to hold the group together but it was proving to be a most difficult task.

“So I guess we can all agree that we won’t try replacing Zayn” Paul stated.

“How dare you even consider replacing Zayn” Louis screamed, jumping up from his seat.

Niall watched Louis with his sad eyes and cried at his boyfriend’s sudden outburst. “Sorry babe” Louis muttered, seeing he scared Niall.

“Will you guys finish out the tour?” Paul asked.

Liam shrugged “I don’t know. It won’t be the same without Zayn.”

“I don’t want to even picture doing concerts without Zayn” Niall wept.

“How can we be One Direction without him” Harry stated getting up from his seat to be next to Niall.

“I’m going to give you guys a couple days off to decide. I think you guys should discuss this together. Go home and just be together” Paul ordered, getting up from his chair, leaving the room.

Harry wrapped his arm around Niall and led the blonde to the car. They sat in silence except for the random sniffle.

“What are we going to do Li” Niall whimpered.

******

Zayn woke up feeling refreshed. He felt really good as he walked downstairs. His mouth began to water when he smelled bacon.

“Good morning sweetie” Trisha cheered, seeing Zayn “How did you sleep?”

“Better than I have in a while mom” Zayn replied smiling when a plate of food was placed in front him.

Zayn ate everything on the plate and went up for seconds. Trisha grinned, seeing her son so happy.

“Do you want to go to the grocery store with me today” Trisha asked.

“I would love to. I think the last time I went out with you was before the X-Factor. I really missed you mom” Zayn said, wrapping his mom in a hug. They embraced each other and Trisha mumbled “I missed you too honey and I’m so glad you’re back.” 

Zayn felt so alive going to the store. He missed doing normal things. The smile never left his face when his mom and he entered the store. Trisha pulled out the list of groceries and began her journey of finding all the items. Zayn skipped around the store happy to be normal again. He was beginning to think he made the right decision leaving the band.

The boy spent hours in his room that day painting without being deserved and it was great. Blasting music, Zayn felt at home drawing his boyfriends. With paint covering his hands and the wall Zayn knew leaving One Direction was the best thing he could have ever done for himself. He knew the boys were hurting, but it’s not like Zayn had died.

*****

Back at the hotel Niall collapsed on the ground and refused to get up. Harry started cooking dinner, knowing making food would keep his mind off of his missing his boyfriend. Louis watched Niall flop around on the ground and almost smiled. He was going to say a funny comment to Zayn, but realized he wasn’t there anymore. Louis’s face dropped and he walked out of the room. Liam put on his headphones and went on twitter.

“Liam can you set the table please?” Harry called out, from the kitchen “Niall can you get the drinks?”

Liam set the table through muscle memory and realized he had set a place for Zayn. He looked at the empty chair and felt his heart drop. Niall brought over Zayn’s favorite drink and set it down where the boy was supposed to sit.

“Louis dinner is ready” Harry yelled.

A reluctant Louis appeared and took a seat at the table. He twiddled with his thumbs waiting for Harry to bring over the food. “Why is there a place set for Zayn?” he cried.

“Sorry muscle memory. I’m so used to setting the table for five people” Liam responded quietly.

“I just wanted to pretend he is still here with us” Niall confessed tears forming in his eyes.

Harry chuckled “Guys it’s not like Zayn is dead. Why don’t we Skype him? Then he can have dinner with us and we can tell him how much we miss him”.

“I love that idea” Niall exclaimed, a small smile forming on his face.

Liam pulled out his laptop and typed in Zayn’s Skype name. The boys waited impatiently for their boyfriend to pick up. After three rings the screen turned blue, and read connecting. Louis could feel his heart beating with joy. 

“Hey lads” Zayn cheered, when he popped up on the screen “I miss you guys”.

“We miss you too” Harry replied.

“Please don’t tell me you have been sitting around all day crying” Zayn said, seeing that his boyfriends’ faces were all red and puffy.

“Well I did cry lying on the ground, that doesn’t count as sitting right” Niall said trying to be funny.

Zayn sighed “It’s not like I’m dead. I just won’t be there every day. But I want you guys to know I’m happy. I haven’t felt this good in a while.”

“I know you’re not dead it’s just we miss you a lot. I don’t want to imagine doing the tour without you” Louis cried.

“What? Why aren't you going to do the tour” Zayn yelled.

“We aren’t One Direction if you aren’t there” Niall responded sadly.

Zayn rolled his eyes “Are you guys really going to give up your dreams because I don’t want to sing in the band anymore.”

“Maybe” Harry said crossing his arms.

“You guys are being babies. I followed my dream, don’t give up yours because of me. Keep on singing and doing what makes you happy” Zayn ordered.

“But you are the one who makes me happy” Liam said, finally getting the nerve to talk to his boyfriend.

“Liam, Harry, Louis, and Niall I want you to promise me you’ll finish out this tour. Please do it for me” Zayn begged.

“I promise” Niall stuttered, he’d do anything for Zayn.

“Me to” Harry added.

“Same” Louis said, giving Zayn a smile.

All eyes turned to Liam and he smiled and said “I guess I’ll do it”.

“Alright boys I have to go my mom is making me dinner. I want you to be there for each other okay, have each other’s back. You guys need to make sure Harry doesn’t walk into fire and Louis doesn’t fall off the stage. Make sure Niall always feels included and always happy. Don’t let Liam get too uptight. I miss you boys. I love you and I’ll talk to you later” Zayn cried, logging off of Skype. He wiped the tears from his eyes and went down to dinner. 

“Who’s ready for dinner then” Harry asked clapping his hands together.

“Me” Louis yelled, raising his hand like he was in school. Niall laughed watching Louis act goofy. Liam sighed in relief seeing things go back to normal. He believed they needed to hear Zayn tell them it was okay to act normal. Sure they all felt sad, but they couldn’t let it hold them back. As Zayn had said he wasn’t dead, and was a lot happier not being in the band.

The next day the four boys told Paul they would continue the tour. The boy’s manager sighed in relief. Thank god he didn’t have to tell the directioners the On The Road Again Tour was canceled.

*****

It had been two weeks since Zayn left the band. Sure he had moments where he missed it, but he was glad he made the decision. Today he was going to surprise the boys at their concert. He missed his boyfriends and was dying to see them in person. Yes they Skype and text every day, but Zayn wanted to see them face to face. He needed to kiss all four of them and hug them. Zayn missed waking up to his boyfriends every morning. The boy wore a disguise to the concert so the fans and the boys wouldn’t recognize him. Zayn guessed the fans all hated him now for leaving the band. He refused to check twitter in fear of reading the hate. Zayn bet the fans would boo him at the concert if they found out he went. And his heart could definitely not take hate from the fans. Zayn just wanted to be remembered. He wouldn’t be surprised if everyone forgot him within a month. They would say Zayn who, from One Direction. He knew it was only a matter of time before the boys broke up with him. They were famous and now he was nothing, just the boy that abandoned One Direction in the middle of their tour. 

Zayn was jumping with excitement, he had never really watched his own concert before. He wondered if they changed the introduction and who was going to sing his solos. Zayn handed his ticket to the security guard and was allowed to go into the arena. He ran to the concession stands to see if they had changed the shirts to just the four of them. Zayn was surprised to see the shirts and posters still had him on them. 

Zayn saw fans walking around with shirts of just him on them. Shirts saying how much they missed Zayn. He went to his seat which was in the front row right next to the stage. Since he got there a few hours early, Zayn pulled out his phone and played some games. More and more people filled up the arena and the boy felt the crowd’s energy. He grew excited and restless like them. He wanted to see his boys and found himself cheering and screaming along with the directioners.

Suddenly the lights went down and Zayn’s heart started beating faster. It was happening, the concert was going to start and Zayn was going to see his boyfriends. He watched the introduction, and was surprised to see he was still in it. When his face flashed on the screen the crowd broke out in screams and applause. Zayn smiled, knowing the fans still loved him. A surge of confidence washed through him.

The intro ended and Zayn began jumping up and down, acting like a total fangirl. The doors to the stage opened and revealed One Direction.

The four boys strutted down the walkway, waving at the fans. Niall played the opening chords for Clouds and the whole arena screamed, Zayn among them. Zayn found himself singing along with the boys.

The boys walked in front of Zayn, and the boy felt like jumping on the stage and joining them. His first solo came and Harry sang it flawlessly. Smiling Zayn felt very proud of his boyfriend.

“We would like to dedicate the next song to Zayn” Niall said into the microphone “This is how we feel every day without him”.

“So your friend's been telling me  
You've been sleeping with my sweater  
And that you can't stop missing me  
Bet my friend's been telling you  
I'm not doing much better  
'Cause I'm missing half of me

And being here without you is like I'm waking up to

Only half a blue sky  
Kinda there but not quite  
I'm walking around with just one shoe  
I'm half a heart without you  
I'm half a man at best,  
With half an arrow in my chest  
I miss everything we do,  
I'm half a heart without you

Forget all we said that night  
No, it doesn't even matter  
'Cause we both got split in two  
If you could spare an hour or so,  
We'll go for lunch down by the river  
We can really talk it through

And being here without you is like I'm waking up to

Only half a blue sky  
Kinda there but not quite  
I'm walking around with just one shoe  
I'm half a heart without you  
I'm half a man at best,  
With half an arrow in my chest  
'Cause I miss everything we do,  
I'm half a heart without you

Half a heart without you,  
I'm half a heart without you

Though I try to get you out of my head  
The truth is I got lost without you  
And since then I've been waking up to

Only half a blue sky (only half a blue sky)  
Kinda there but not quite  
I'm walking around with just one shoe  
I'm half a heart without you  
I'm half a man at best (half a man at best)  
With half an arrow in my chest  
I miss everything we do,  
I'm half a heart without you

Without you, without you, half a heart without you  
Without you, without you, I'm half a heart without you”

Harry cried during the last verse. He wiped the tears on his sleeve, trying to hide the fact he was crying. Louis hugged Harry and whispered “It’s okay”.

Liam watched his boyfriends, slowly fall apart on stage. “Our next song is for Zayn as well. Zayn if you’re out there we want you to know don’t forget where you belong.” And with that Niall pulled out his guitar and played Don’t Forget Where You Belong.

Liam began his first verse and sung it flawlessly. Louis sat alone on the other side of the ramp. He hated singing this song now. He and Zayn would harmonize together, but now it was just him.

Zayn couldn’t believe Louis was right in front of him. He was so close, the boy could see the sweat falling down his boyfriend’s face. Zayn saw how sad and miserable Louis looked. He couldn’t believe that the boys still missed him. Zayn watched as Louis’s eyes traveled around the crowd. Suddenly his eyes stopped on Zayn.

Louis scrunched up his face in confusion. There was no way Zayn was at their concert. The boy thought he must be losing his mind. Louis closed his eyes and opened them again and saw Zayn was still there.

“Zayn?” he mouthed.

Zayn nodded his head and pulled off his wig slightly. Louis bounced off the ramp in excitement, all sadness leaving his eyes. The boy waved his hand, inviting Zayn to join One Direction on stage.

Zayn declined. He enjoyed being able to sing along and not have the pressures of performing. He didn’t have to please thousands of fans. Zayn knew if he went on stage the fans would lose their shit. He was having fun just watching.

Louis nodded his head understanding Zayn didn’t want to join them. The boy was hit with adrenaline, knowing Zayn was there. He needed to make sure this was their best concert ever. When Louis’s solo came on he locked eyes with Zayn and sang his part. He felt his heart beat faster when he saw Zayn singing along from the audience. Zayn gave his boyfriend a thumbs up and started dancing.

When the song finished Louis pulled Harry, Niall, and Liam into a group huddle.

“Guys, Zayn is here” Louis exclaimed.

“Seriously?” Niall said not wanting to get his hopes up.

“Yea he is over there” Louis replied, pointing to the spot where he saw Zayn.

Liam and Harry looked to the spot and were surprised to see Louis was telling the truth.

“He doesn’t want anyone to know he is here though so we have to keep it on the down low” Louis whispered leaving the group huddle to introduce the next song.

Liam watched the boys actually start to enjoy the concert. For the past 2 weeks the boys pretended to be happy and have fun on stage. Now they were bouncing off the walls in excitement. Liam was glad to see Niall wearing a genuine smile. For the past shows Niall had a fake smile on that looked like it could break at any moment. Sometimes the blonde’s lip would wobble and Liam thought he was going to start sobbing on stage.

The four boys played tricks on each other and joked around. Zayn was happy seeing his boyfriends having fun on stage. Louis for the first time since Zayn left started a water fight with Liam. Zayn found himself cracking up when Liam had a whole water bottle poured on his head. Niall did his famous jump right in front of Zayn. He skipped around the stage with Harry and couldn’t stop laughing and smiling. Harry made sure to walk by Zayn every song shooting the occasional wink at his boyfriend.

The concert finished and Zayn was escorted backstage to see his boyfriends. “You guys were incredible tonight” Zayn exclaimed.

Niall ran over to Zayn and tackled him in a hug. “I missed you so much.” Niall yelled, kissing Zayn on every inch of his face.

Harry, Louis, and Liam joined Niall by lying on top of Zayn. It reminded One Direction of their old tour where they would tackle each other at every show. Zayn couldn’t believe he thought the boys had stopped loving him.

That night Zayn worked up the courage to go on twitter and was flooded with such nice tweets it brought him to tears. Zayn stayed with the boys at their hotel. The four boys pampered Zayn the whole night telling him how much they missed him.

“Can you please visit more often” Harry begged, snuggling up on Zayn’s chest.

“I will” Zayn promised, kissing Harry’s forehead.

“Next time tell us when you come to one of our concerts” Louis said.

“No way. I need you to act happy and energetic like I’m at every concert. Just act like I’m there because I always am. I will always be with you boys. Stop crying whenever one of my old solos come on. I give you my blessing to sing them. Be happy during your tour because I’m happy back in England.” Zayn said.

“Do you miss the tour” Niall asked.

“No I don’t miss the tour, but I do miss being with you guys every day. I don’t regret leaving the band. Sure, I wanted to go on stage at some points during the concert, but I was much happier watching you guys perform. I haven’t felt this happy in a while.” Zayn replied smiling at his boyfriend.

“I’m glad you’re happy and I will stop moping around on stage” Liam promised “And if I see any of you lads sad I will cheer you up no matter how long it takes”.

“Thanks Liam” Zayn mumbled.

“It’s fine I hate seeing the boys so sad” Liam replied.

Harry and Niall fell asleep curled up on Zayn’s chest. On Niall’s lap laid a snoring Louis.

“Niall was a wreck after you left. Every time we sang What Makes You Beautiful Niall cried. He would stare at your empty spot.” Liam confessed.

“I never meant to hurt you guys by leaving” Zayn said looking at Niall.

“I know that. I think the boys are going to be fine. We just needed to see how happy you are. I think the concerts will go fine from now on.”

“Will you watch over Niall?”

“I swear I will.”

“Thank you” Zayn replied “Shall we carry the boys to the bedroom.

“Sure” Liam whispered, grabbing Louis. Zayn picked up Niall and laid him gently on the bed. He went back for Harry and smiled, watching his boyfriends sleep.

Liam and Zayn climbed into bed. The boys all cuddled around Zayn and the boy sighed in happiness.

Zayn left the next morning, but this time he didn’t leave with tears falling down his face. The boys waved him goodbye with big smiles on their faces. Zayn smiled back, knowing the boys weren’t going to let him leaving hold them back anymore. Zayn popped at the occasional concert. Sometimes his boyfriends would find him and sometimes they wouldn’t. Zayn was happy in life. He got a new apartment and spent hours a day drawing. He would write songs and sleep in as late as he wanted and he loved every second of it. Zayn was finally happy.


	12. Longest 48 hours (Niall Centric)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have a niall centric prompt for you, if you'll write it! It’s where Niall comes down with meningitis, really serious, and ends up in the hospital for awhile. It takes awhile for the lads to realize that niall has to go to hospital though. You can build the rest from there though! Keep up the good work!

“Niall” the choreographer yelled “I told you to go left not right. Are you even paying attention?”

“I thought I did go right” Niall responded, embarrassed by his mistake.

“Looks like someone forgot what their left and right are” Louis joked “Make an L with your fingers Niall like this.” Louis went over and made an L with the blonde's fingers. The other boys laughed seeing a confused Niall.

“Let’s take a break” the choreographer yelled out.

“Thank god I have been holding in pee for the past hour” Harry exclaimed running off the stage. Liam laughed wrapping his arm around Zayn.

Louis snapped his fingers in front of Niall and asked “Are you okay? You seem a bit out of it today.”

“Yea my neck is a little stiff and I have a slight headache, but nothing majorly wrong” Niall replied.

“Maybe you slept on your neck wrong last night” Louis suggested.

Niall hadn’t even considered that and said “Yea you’re probably right.”

Zayn and Liam walked over to the two boys. “Want to go the snack table? I heard lunch is out” Liam said. Louis nodded his head, hearing his stomach rumble. “Come on Ni” Zayn called, holding out his hand. Niall took it and their fingers intertwined.

“Ugh it’s all healthy food. Why can’t there be a big fat greasy burger” Louis whined, staring at the fruit and sandwiches. “I happen to like the healthy food Lou” Harry called out. He picked up a plate and filled it with fruit. Harry shoved a strawberry in his mouth feeling stratified as the juice squirted out. “You disgust me” Louis sassed, making a grossed out face.

Harry rolled his eyes and saw Zayn had taken a turkey sandwich and was sitting on Liam’s lap eating. Liam had 4 sandwiches on his plate and a huge pile of fruit. Harry turned to see how much food would be on Niall’s plate. The blonde though didn’t even have a plate.

“Niall are you going to eat anything?” Harry asked, shooting his boyfriend a concerned look.

Seeing his boyfriend looking worried Niall said “I will eat, just later. I’m not really hungry at the moment. Don’t worry Harry, I’m fine.”

Liam shot Zayn a look and both boys decided they would talk to Niall later if he was still acting weird. Making room on the couch Liam called Niall over to sit next to them. The blonde leaned against Liam’s shoulder and Zayn laid across both his boyfriends.

Harry forced Louis to eat some healthy food much to Louis’s horror. Chasing his boyfriend around the room Harry finally pinned Lou to the ground and shoved a grape in his mouth. “No please stop Harry grapes are my weakness” Louis screamed. Harry rolled his eyes saying “Shut up”.

After a 10 minute break the choreographer called the boys back on stage and said “I hope you boys are ready to practice, I need your full concentration. Now let’s go over the opening song Clouds and the positions you all need to hit.”

The five boys groaned, walking to their opening spots. “Niall” the man called out “I want you to have the guitar while we practice so you get used to playing it on stage.” The blonde nodded his head and went to retrieve his guitar. Niall winced when he moved his neck and Louis made a mental note of how weird his boyfriend was acting.

“Should Niall actually play the guitar” Zayn asked.

“Yea that‘s a good idea. Niall can you play the song” the choreographer asked.

“Sure” Niall groaned.

The blonde walked up to the top of the stage feeling more and shittier with each step.

“Niall just get through this song and we will call it a day. I really don’t care if it pisses the choreographer off. You need some rest” Liam said.

“Okay and start” the man yelled, from the bottom of the stage.

Niall began playing the opening chords, but it was hard staying in tempo. The boy was having a hard time concentrating and listening to the boys singing. He forgot to sing the chorus and his own solo.

Zayn stared at Niall, he was really out of it today. The song Niall was playing at the moment was definitely not Clouds. He was pretty sure his boyfriend was playing and singing Midnight Memories. Louis stopped singing the second Niall switched songs. He knew the blonde would never intentionally mess up practice not when they had their first show of the concert tour coming up.

“Stop” the choreographer yelled, waving his hands around furiously. Harry was just about to sing the long note and sighed in disappointment, he wanted to show off to his boyfriends how long he could hold the note. Not wanting to start the song over again, he prayed the man would let them go home because clearly Niall wasn’t feeling well.

“What the hell was that Niall” the man screamed getting up in the blonde’s face. “You do know your first show is next week, so get your shit together boy”. Niall nodded, tears pooling in his eyes.

“Lay off him. He’s not feeling well” Zayn defended, standing in front of his boyfriend protectively.

“We are ending practice early and letting Niall get some rest. I’m sure he will be fine tomorrow. Right Niall?” Liam explained. The blonde nodded his head sheepishly.

“Fine, but I expect tomorrow’s practice to go smoothly” the choreographer demanded before dismissing One Direction.

The boys breathed out in relief. “Do you want me to carry you to the car” Zayn asked, seeing Niall sway back and forth. “Yes please” the boy croaked. With ease, Zayn picked up his boyfriend. Niall snuggled into Zayn’s chest and rested his head on his boyfriend’s shoulders. Soon the blonde was snoring away in the arms of Zayn.

“Does he feel warm” Liam whispered to Zayn, trying not to wake his sleeping boyfriend. The boy shrugged. “Let me see” Louis said, squeezing in between Liam and Zayn. Harry watched as Liam grunted when Louis pushed him out of the way.

Laying his hand on Niall, Louis was surprised the boy didn’t feel warm. “No fever” he reported to the boys. Liam was shocked and had a hard time believing it.  “Maybe he really was just tired” Harry suggested.

Arriving back at the hotel the boys laid Niall down in bed and quietly shut the door. “Should we wake him for dinner?” Harry asked his boyfriends. Louis remembered that Niall didn’t eat any lunch and he could have sworn Niall didn’t have anything to drink since breakfast. “I definitely think we should wake him. He never ate lunch remember” Louis told.

“Okay” Liam agreed, surprised Niall hadn’t eaten anything since lunch. “I’m going to lie down for a little bit as well. Wake me for dinner” Zayn said, before going into the bedroom. Zayn crawled in next to a sleeping Niall, and cuddled him. The boyfriend soon joined Niall in sleep.

“Well I’m going to start on dinner” Harry declared, pulling a pot from one of the cabinets. The smell of food filled the room and Louis felt his stomach rumble. “Please tell me tonight’s dinner won’t be super healthy like lunch. I need some greasy food” Louis begged.

Harry rolled his eyes and joked “You’ll just have to see”. Louis pouted and gave his boyfriend, his best puppy dog eyes. Chuckling Harry kissed Louis on the lips and pushed him out of the kitchen. “I need room to work” Harry said, after successfully getting the boy out of the kitchen.

Louis joined Liam on the couch and soon the two boys were absorbed in Xbox. “Liam watch my back” Louis screamed, as soldiers in the videogame surrounded his character. “I’m trying” Liam replied, scrunching up his face in concentration. Game Over filled the screen and Louis threw down the controller in frustration. Once he composed himself Louis asked “Want to play again?”

“How about after dinner” Harry called from the kitchen signaling the meal was ready. Liam licked his lips and quickly got up from the couch. “Can you wake up Niall and Zayn?” Harry asked, handing plates and silverware to Louis.

Liam nodded and turned to the bedroom to wake up his sleeping boyfriends. Opening the door Liam just stared at how adorable the boys were. Zayn looked so peaceful asleep. He was snuggled against Niall and Liam really wanted to join them. Niall seemed so innocent while sleeping, then he would open his mouth and curse up a storm.

“Lads get up. It’s time for dinner” Liam cooed. Zayn shifted in the bed and raised his head to look at Liam. Groaning the boy sat up and yawned. He felt slightly refreshed and was hungry for food. “Niall get up” Liam called.

“No let me sleep” Niall begged, keeping his eyes closed. “Niall you haven’t eaten anything since breakfast. Remember, you skipped lunch” Zayn said, giving his boyfriend a slight shove.

“But I’m not hungry” Niall whined, pulling the blanket over his head. “If you don’t get up and eat, I’m calling the doctor” Liam threatened, knowing how much Niall hated the doctors. The blonde would do anything to avoid going. “Fine” Niall sighed, sitting up from bed.

Liam skipped out of the bedroom followed by Zayn and tired looking Niall. Sitting down at the table Louis asked “Ni what do you want to drink?” The blonde thought about it and replied “Nothing I’m not really thirsty or hungry to be honest”.

Harry ran out of the kitchen practically dropping all the food to get to Niall. “What is wrong with you? Are you okay? How can you not be hungry or thirsty?” Concern was written all over Harry’s face. Liam put his hand on Niall’s forehead. “You don’t feel warm Ni” Liam remarked.

“I just want to go back to sleep” Niall begged, giving his boyfriends’ a pleading look. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea” Louis said looking around the room. “I swear it’s probably nothing. I’ll be fine in the morning” Niall promised.

“Okay” Zayn said uncertain. The blonde’s chair pushed out and the boy shuffled to the bedroom.

“I bet it’s nothing. He seems fine, just not hungry. Maybe eating all that food all those years has finally caught up to him” Louis joked. He earned forced laugh from Harry and finished setting the table. Harry set down the food revealing it was roasted chicken. Zayn’s mouth watered seeing the delicious food.

After dinner, the four boys watched some TV, but weren’t really interested. “Shall we head in for the night” Zayn suggested. The other three nodded their heads and headed to the bedroom. They had another day of practice tomorrow and needed all the rest they could get. “Can’t wait to see how crazy the choreographer is tomorrow” Louis joked. “We shall see” Liam remarked.

Climbing into the bed Harry noticed Niall was at the end of the bed. Weird he thought, Niall always slept in the center of the bed. “Should we move him” Liam whispered. He wasn’t really sure what to do. “Just leave him. He seems so peaceful and happy and cozy” Louis replied. Zayn shrugged and crawled in next to Niall and cuddled with him. Zayn noted that Niall was facing away from the boys. His whole body was facing the wall which was especially weird. Zayn decided to ask Niall about it in the morning. One Direction fell asleep snuggled up together.

“Wake up lads we have practice in a half an hour” Liam called out wide awake turning on the lights. Zayn groaned and rolled over, hiding his head in his pillow. Louis and Harry pulled the sheets over their head yelling curses at Liam for being such a morning person. “Niall” Liam cooed “Time to get up”.

Niall’s eyes slowly opened and he hissed at the sunlight. “Can you please turn off the lights” the blonde begged. Liam did as he was told and walked over to Niall. “How you feeling babe” he asked. Niall gave a thumbs up and sat up from the bed rubbing his neck. “I think I slept on my neck wrong again though” Niall mumbled.

“Get dressed and come out and have some breakfast before we head to practice” Liam ordered, walking out of the room. Zayn ran into the bathroom to fix his hair and make himself look perfect like he always does. What do you think Zayn just wakes up beautiful every morning? Harry and Louis were already dressed and running out of the room when Niall finally got out of bed.

Niall noticed he couldn’t turn his head without feeling excruciating pain. Great this going to be an awful day, the blonde thought. Niall still felt super sleepy even after getting a full nights rest. Rubbing his eyes, Niall was hit with a severe headache that knocked him against the bed. Squeezing the pillows, Niall fought back the urge to scream by biting his lip. The boy saw black in his vision for a couple seconds before the pounding let up. Sitting up slowly Niall saw the bathroom was empty.  

The blonde ran inside and shrieked at the sudden intensity of the lights. He fell to the floor shielding himself from its bright rays. Crawling to the light switch, Niall quickly turned the lights off. Suddenly a feeling of nausea hit the boy, and he threw up in the toilet. After throwing up whatever food was in his system, Niall leaned against the bathroom wall breathing hard.

A banging on the door brought Niall out of the trace as Louis yelled “You almost done in there. I have to pee really bad”. The blonde whimpered, and attempted to compose himself. Quickly brushing his teeth and fixing his hair, Niall checked his reflection in the mirror. He looked a little pale, but other than that fine. Niall hoped he could make it through practice. He opened the door and headed back into the bedroom to get dressed.

Wearing sweatpants, a hoodie, and dark sunglasses Niall leaned against the window of the car. Any movement in his neck sent pain throughout his body. The boys had forced him to eat an apple and drink a bottle of water. His stomach made digestive sounds and he knew he was probably going to throw up again. “Earth to Niall” Louis said, waving his hand in front of his boyfriend’s face. “What?” Niall asked.

“How are you feeling” Liam asked, cutting Louis off. Niall seemed to zone out again because he didn’t answer the question. “Niall” Zayn snapped “Answer the damn question”. “What question” Niall asked, clearly confused.

Practice was going horribly for the boys. Niall was not concentrating at all, and had no idea what song they were supposed to be singing. Not moving around the stage and refusing to play the guitar, Niall was driving the choreographer insane. “Niall what the hell. Are you messing with me?” the man asked. The blonde acted as though he never heard the man and he yelled in frustration. “Run it again” the choreographer screamed.

Niall’s head was pounding and the boy couldn’t think straight. Was the world supposed to look sideways? The sunglasses blocked out the light, but it didn’t seem to stop the dizziness or the constant feeling of wanting to throw up. Niall was spaced out and couldn’t concentrate on anything. “Niall” the choreographer yelled, getting up in the boy’s face “Stop being a diva and start practicing”. Niall wondered when the man got there. He wondered how he got up on the stage. “When did I get here” Niall asked, looking around confused. “Where are we” the boy cried.

“Stop playing dumb boy” the man screamed, taking a step closer to the boy. “Back off” Zayn threatened walking towards Niall. Louis and Harry were already racing towards the blonde from the catwalk. Liam was jumping over the ramp to get to his boyfriend.

Niall looked down and threw up all over the ground. He whimpered as he dry heaved having nothing left to throw up. Tears streamed down his face, as he rubbed his neck and head. “What hurts” Zayn asked, reaching the sick boy gently rubbing his back. “My head and neck” Niall croaked.

Liam decided to check Niall’s forehead again and put his hand against it. He quickly pulled his hand back, surprised at how warm it was. “Shit. He’s burning up guys” Liam worried. Liam began fussing over the blonde.

Niall waved him away saying, “Stop worrying mom, I’m fine. I’ll be down for school in like five minutes.” Now Louis was panicking his boyfriend was delirious and it was freaking him out. “What do we do” Harry stuttered feeling completely useless. Zayn couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He was scared shit-less and had no idea how to help.  

Walking down the runaway, Niall passed out. Falling backwards the blonde head went straight for the railing. Zayn raced down the stage, stopping his boyfriend right before he smacked his head. Liam released the breath he was holding. Harry felt his heart calm down a little and ran to Niall. Louis stood there in shock at what he almost witnessed. His boyfriend almost hit his head on the railing. “He needs to get to a hospital now” Louis ordered.

“Already on it” the choreographer said, pulling out his phone dialing the ambulance. “How did we let it get this bad” Liam asked, flinching when he touched the blonde’s forehead. Heat radiated off the boy’s pale skin. Sweat covered his forehead even though the boy was shivering. “Keep his head straight. Remember he was complaining about how much his neck hurt” Harry suggested to Zayn, who currently had Niall’s head in his lap. Zayn nodded and straightened out the blonde’s head.

The paramedics quickly arrived to the scene and placed Niall gently on a stretcher. Louis ran alongside the workers holding onto his boyfriend’s hand. Louis and Zayn were allowed to ride in the ambulance to describe Niall’s symptoms to the paramedics.   

Inside the ambulance, Zayn watched in horror as an IV was hooked into Niall. He had to look away when they stuck the needle in the blonde’s arm. “Can you describe to me what happened? When did he start acting weird? Just tell me everything.” the paramedic asked, pulling out a clipboard to write everything the boys said down.

“Niall has been acting weird for the past couple of days” Louis confessed squeezing Zayn’s hand “He hasn’t been eating or drinking. He has a hard time paying attention and keeps zoning out.” “And he complained about his head and neck hurting. He seemed to flinch whenever he moved his neck” Zayn added.

The two boys watched the paramedic write down all the symptoms with concern written all over her face.

“He also threw up and the fever just seemed to spring on him. He was fine this morning and next thing we knew it Niall had a fever.” Louis finished.

“Was he sensitive to light?” the paramedic asked.

Zayn gasped when he finally understood why Niall was wearing sunglasses all practice. “Yes” he replied.

The paramedic turned around and yelled “Faster Bob, we need to get him to the emergency room now”. Louis cried into Zayn’s shoulder and Zayn’s heart raced with panic.

“Drive faster” Harry yelled at Liam “We need to keep up with the ambulance.” Liam groaned and slammed onto the gas. The two boys smacked the back of their seats, as the car took off speeding down the road.

Arriving at the hospital, Harry and Liam raced inside searching for Zayn and Louis. “There they are” Harry pointed out heading to the waiting room. “What happened” Liam asked, seeing how much of a wreck Louis looked like. Zayn was trying to keep himself together, but Liam could see through the cracks.

“I don’t know. We described the symptoms to the paramedics and that freaked the lady out. She told the driver to pick up the pace and didn't say another word. Just kept checking Niall’s vitals. I’m scared” Louis confessed.

“We are horrible boyfriends for not noticing sooner” Harry cried “What if we could have stopped it from getting this bad?”. The boys hung their heads in shame. Harry’s legs couldn’t sit still as he waited for news on Niall. Louis sobbed into Harry’s shoulder occasionally stopping to catch his breath and blow his nose. Liam was right next to the nurses’ desk asking every 5 minutes about Niall. Zayn was shaking against Harry all his thoughts on the blonde boy. After waiting a couple of hours the boys finally heard news on their boyfriend.  

“Friends and family of Niall Horan” a doctor called out. Four heads shot up and the boys quickly assembled around the doctor. “How is he” Liam asked, almost scared to know the answer.

“He’s doing a lot better” the doctor confessed “You are lucky you got him here when you did. If you waited any longer, I’m afraid Niall might have died.”

“What’s wrong with him” Louis cried not believing that his Niall could have died. “Have you boys ever heard of meningitis” the doctor asked. The four boys gave him blank stares as their reply.

“That’s what I thought. Meningitis is a bacterial disease. It is an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. It can be life-threatening if not treated quickly” the doctor described.   

“Can you cure it? Will Niall be fine” Harry asked, panic showing in his voice.

“Yes we can cure it. If you follow me into my office, I shall tell you what exactly we did to Niall and what we will do” the doctor said, leading the boys down the hallway to his office. The room only had two chairs so Liam and Zayn stood because Harry and Louis were too much of a mess to stand.

“When Niall arrived here” the doctor began “We inserted a needle into his spinal canal to extract some fluid. With the fluid we tested to see if he had meningitis and what kind of meningitis because there are several types. Once the tests came back we found out it was bacterial, which is far worse than viral we quickly pumped Niall with antibiotics. Antibiotics are the only way to fight bacteria. Since meningitis is contagious, I am afraid I will need to test you boys for it and anyone else who came in contact with Niall”.

“Will we need to get the same shot as Niall” Louis asked. “I’m afraid so” the doctor replied sadly. “We’ll do it” Liam said, volunteering everyone. The boys were taken to a hospital room and told to lie on their stomachs. Harry was starting to panic, he hated needles.

“I can’t do this” Harry screamed, sitting up from the bed. “You have to Harry. There is no option. Lay back down now and get it over with, so we can see Niall” Zayn ordered. Harry nodded and laid back down without complaining again.

The doors opened and four nurses walked in carrying huge needles. Louis felt like he was going to pass out seeing the size of the needles. “This might sting” one nurse said. “You think” Louis sassed.

“Okay on the count of three 1...2….3” the nurse said, plunging the needle into the back of Louis’s neck. The boy squirmed and screamed into his pillow. Liam took the shot a lot calmer than Louis and simply cursed under his breath. Zayn had no reaction at all, his mind was to focused on Niall to register pain. Harry tensed up his body getting ready for the needle. He whimpered when the point entered his neck, tears pooling down his face.

Once they were done the boys were told to wait in the room for their results. “You did good Harry, I’m so proud of you” Louis remarked, wrapping his arm around the younger boy. “Thank Lou” Harry mumbled.

After an hour the results were in and the doctor came to the boys. “I have good news. None of you have meningitis. Which is very surprising since you are in close contact with him, yes?” the doctor said, obviously proud of his findings. “I mean he did sleep facing away from us last night” Liam confessed figuring Niall had stopped himself from spreading the bacteria. “What about Niall?” Zayn asked changing the subject.

“He will be in quarantine for the next 48 hours as the antibiotics kick in, since he can spread meningitis to everyone in the hospital. We have an IV hooked up to him giving him food and water, since it has been a while from the last time he ate.” the doctor said.

“Can we visit him” Harry begged. “You can’t go into the same room with him, but I can let you stay in the room next door. There is a window so you can look in on Niall.” the doctor replied.

“Thank you so much” Liam said. “No problem we will talk about Niall and how long he will need to stay at the hospital once the 48 hours of quarantine are done. Now if you follow me this way I shall show you to Niall” the doctor reported, taking the boys up the elevator and down a long hallway.

The four boys passed doctors in quarantine suits and Harry started to feel nervous. Inside the room Liam and Zayn ran to the window, pressing their faces against the glass. In the next room, sat Niall in a dark room hooked up to IV’s. He was unrecognizable. The boys were used to seeing a cheery irishboy not one who seemed so broken and non-life like. The only thing that kept Zayn sane was seeing the blonde’s chest move up and down.  

Louis pulled up a chair to the window and sat there making himself comfy. The other boys followed suit and soon each were in front of the window watching Niall. “Is anyone going to sleep in the bed” Louis asked, seeing the empty bed behind them. “Nope, I want to be here next to the window, so when Niall wakes up he knows we are here for him” Zayn said, his eyes never leaving the blonde. And with that, none of the boys moved that night. Harry was the first to fall asleep in the chair, his snores filling the silent room, as his head leaned back on an awkward angle. Louis fell asleep next and then Liam. Zayn fought sleep for as long as he could, but eventually sleep won the battle. He wanted to the big blue eyes he loved so much before sleep took hold of him. Sadly the boy fell asleep disappointed.

Zayn slowly opened his eyes, groaning at his neck which has a horrible cramp. Sleeping in a chair was definitely not a great idea. He stood up and stretched cracking his neck and back. “Anything happen” Zayn asked, Liam who was already awake. “No” the boy sighed. “Where’s Louis” Zayn said, seeing his boyfriend was gone. “He needed to pee and said he would get breakfast while he was out. Told me to text him if anything happened” Liam reported.

Zayn sat back in his chair and watched the chest of Niall rise and fall. Please wake up the boy thought. After some time Harry woke up and Louis came back with food. Liam didn’t realize how hungry he was until he smelled the food. The four boys scarfed down their food not satisfied with the tiny meal, but none of them wanting to leave the room to get more breakfast. “I hate this” Harry remarked. “Hate what” Louis asked. “Not knowing. I want Niall to wake up and be okay. I just want him to wake” Harry confessed.

Louis watched the doors to Niall’s room open, revealing two doctors in quarantine suits. The doctors checked the blonde’s vital signs. They changed the IV bags and took Niall’s pulse. Seeming satisfied with their findings, the doctors left the room. “Should we go talk to them” Harry asked, watching the doctors leave the room. “Hell yes” Louis said, standing up from his seat.

“Excuse me” Louis called out, seeing the doctors walking down the hallway “Can you give any update on our friend”.

“His vital signs are showing his body has accepted the antibiotics which is very good. The fever has gone down as well. I think he might wake up today if you are lucky” the doctor declared, giving the four boys a wink.

Excitement filled Zayn as he raced back to the room. Harry smiled, sitting down wanting to see the blonde open his eyes. “I wonder if he’ll be confused as to why he is in a hospital” Louis wondered out loud. “Oh god what if he freaks out. You know how much he hates hospitals, especially being alone in them” Liam worried. “Its fine we will calm him down” Zayn said. “How when we aren’t even in the same room as him” Harry said his voice shaking. The conversation stopped though, when a shriek came from Niall’s room.

The boy was sitting up in bed, having a panic attack. Niall ripped out the IVs from his arm, tears streaming down his face. “Liam, Zayn, Harry, Lou. Where are you?” the blonde wept. Niall attempted to get out of bed, but realized he still hooked up to several machines.     

The four boys jumped up and began banging on the glass. “Niall we are right here” Zayn called out. “Please calm down” Harry begged. “Lay back down sweetie” Louis yelled. “We didn’t leave you Ni, I swear” Liam yelled.

Niall looked around and not seeing his boyfriends. Blood ran down his arm from where he ripped out his IV. The blue eyes were filled with fear and panic. Not seeing the boys, Niall tried getting out of bed again. “Stay on the bed” Liam begged. “Where are my friends” Niall croaked. Guilt ate away at Liam seeing Niall like this.

Niall took out his last IV and placed his feet on the floor. Just as was about to walk to the window the door to his room flew open. The two doctors in quarantine suits came in and Niall screamed. He ran to the window and banged on it begging “Please help me. I’m scarred”. The doctors grabbed Niall and injected a sedative in his neck. The blonde squirmed in their grip, but it was too late the drug was already setting in. He shot the boys a betrayed and hurt look, before he closed his eyes knocked out from the drug. The boy's body went limp in the arms of the doctor. It appeared like Niall had died.

"What did you do to him" Harry yelled, tears falling down his face. It was freaking him out seeing Niall so unlife like. "We sedated him" the doctor reported "Strap him to the bed now."

"No you can't do that it will freak him out more" Zayn pleaded, banging against the glass. The doctors ignored the boys’ pleas and strapped Niall to the bed. "Please don't" Liam cried, knowing how much it would scare the blonde. "I'm going in there" Louis said, pushing up from his seat.

"Lou you can't" Liam said, trying to stop his boyfriend. But it was no use Louis was past reasoning, he needed to get to his boyfriend. Running out of the room Louis was stopped by two other doctors. They had him in a headlock when Zayn and Liam came running out to help Louis. Struggling in their grip, Louis was dragged back to the room. "Let him go" Zayn threatened, his hand forming a fist. "Now!" Liam yelled.

"If this boy doesn't calm down, we will sedate him like Niall" the doctor reported, pulling out a needle. Louis began freaking out, more giving the boys a pleading look. "Please calm down Lou" Harry begged, clutching Zayn's arm in fear. Louis did as he was told and stopped struggling against the doctor’s grip.

"No one is allowed in Niall's room. If anything like this happens again, you will be kicked out of the hospital" the doctor threatened closing the door. "Please you have to let us see him" Liam begged "He hates hospitals. We keep him calm in them."

"What do you not understand about the word quarantine? No one is allowed in the room with him except us. Now calm down or else!" the man yelled, slamming the door shut.

Louis fell into Harry's arms and sobbed "I need Ni". "I know baby" Harry shushed rubbing his boyfriend's head. "I can’t believe Niall freaked out like that" Liam remarked.

"It's because we weren't there" Zayn replied with a frown. More than anything he wanted to be in Niall's room telling the boy everything would be okay. "Just think another 24 hours until Niall is out of quarantine" Harry said, trying to cheer up his boyfriends. "Longest 24 hours of my life" Liam mumbled.

The four boys sat back down in the chairs and faced Niall. "I'll go get lunch" Harry said, after sitting there for a couple of hours. He needed to get out of the room before he started sobbing again. Harry hated seeing little Niall so sick and broken. None of the boys replied to Harry, so he left without a word.

Zayn wanted Niall to wake up, but at the same time didn't. If the blonde woke up, he would freak out again being strapped in. He couldn't even lift up his head to see his four boyfriends through the window. "Niall we are here for you" Zayn whispered, putting his hand against the glass.

Liam started to drift off when he heard screams coming from Niall's room. Becoming fully awake, he stared through the glass seeing Niall fighting against the straps. He threw his head onto the bed, his heart rate going up steadily.

"Niall we are over here" Louis yelled, trying to get the blonde's attention. With shock and horror the three boys realized Niall couldn't hear him. "Try banging on the glass to get his attention" Zayn suggested. Louis and Zayn banged on the window not knowing they were freaking out Niall even more.

Screaming and crying Niall tried putting his hands over his ears to block out the banging, but they couldn't reach since he was strapped down. "Please stop" Niall begged, rocking back and forth. "Stop guys" Liam yelled, pushing Zayn's and Louis's hands off of the glass.

Suddenly the doors flew open to the blonde's room and Niall cowered in fear. "You need to calm down son" the doctor ordered. "Where are my band mates" Niall asked, his eyes searching the room for his boyfriends.

"There here in the hospital" the man reported. "But why aren't they in here" Niall questioned, were the boys mad at him for ruining practice. "You're in quarantine because you are a danger to yourself and others" the man declared.

"What do you mean" Niall said voice visibly shaking. "You almost got your friends sick just like you. You are a liability until the disease passes through your system. Now please calm down or else we will sedate you again" the doctor threatened closing the door.

Niall nodded his head and leaned back on the bed feeling guilty. He almost got his boyfriend the loves of his life sick. How could he be so selfish? "I'm the worst boyfriend" Niall mumbled to himself.

"Niall you're wrong" Zayn yelled, hoping the boy can hear him. "Why can't he hear us" Louis screamed angrily.

"He can't hear you because the room is soundproof and can’t see you because the glass in only one sided" the doctor reported walking into the boys' room. "Why" Louis asked his anger showing in his voice.

"Because this is the room where we usually observe patients, but we are allowing you to stay here. Be grateful, we usually never let people stay in this room" the doctor remarked.

"How much longer until Niall is done in quarantine?" Liam asked, wanting to know how many more hours he had to wait till he could be with his boyfriend. Harry entered the room balancing four trays of food. "What did I miss" the boy questioned, looking around the room seeing concern written on the three boys’ faces. "I'll catch you up later" Zayn shot "Now answer Liam's question."

"About another 10 hours. We are putting Niall back under for the duration of the rest of quarantine. His heart rate and panicked state are unhealthy for the boy. We need to control him before he hurts himself anymore" the doctor said, sadly leaving the room.

Harry watched Niall squirm around in the bed screaming and crying. The boy's face was red and puffy from all the tears. His voice started cracking from the constant screaming. Harry felt his heart shatter, seeing the blonde like this. The quarantine doctor walked into the room and grabbed Niall's arm. "Please don't" the boy whimpered, visibly shaking. The needle was inserted into the arm and Niall's eyes rolled back in his head. Just like that, all the tenseness in the boy's body disappeared.

The 10 hours felt like days to Liam. Time seemed to pass by slowly. Zayn felt like he was dying every second he was away from Niall. Louis paced the room slowly beginning to tire himself out. Harry rocked back and forth. The food on the trays was never touched and grew cold.

"It's time" the doctor, exclaimed coming into the boys' room "Are you ready to see Niall?".

"I've been ready since 48 hours ago" Louis joked, trying to make Harry smile. To his disappointment it didn't work. "Follow me to Niall's new room" the doctor declared waving his hand forward. Walking into the hallway, Harry looked at how crappy he and his boyfriends looked. Zayn's hair untamed was a hilarious sight and Harry would have laughed if it had been different circumstances. Harry's hair was greasy since it was a couple days since he showered. The boys' clothes were wrinkled and slightly stinky since they had been in them for 2 days. "We stink" Liam said, smelling himself almost gagging. He remembered being covered in sweat at practice and that he had never showered.

"There is a shower in Niall's new room" the doctor said, wanting to cover his nose because the boys really did reek. "I'll shower after Niall wakes up" Zayn reported. The other three agreed with Zayn. They didn't want to miss Niall waking up.

The four boys arrived to the room before Niall, so they moved chairs around the bed waiting impatiently to see their boyfriend. Smiles spread across their faces, when the doors opened and Niall was wheeled in. The arm where he ripped out the IV was bandaged and his hair stuck up in a hundred different directions. The sleep didn't seem as peaceful, as when he was sleeping in the hotel bedroom. The doctor gently picked up Niall and slowly placed him on the bed. He hooked up the blonde to several machines and put a new IV in his arm. Shooting the boys a smile he walked out of the room.

Surrounding the bed Louis quickly grabbed Niall's hand, swearing he would never let go of it again. Harry put a cool washcloth on the blonde's forehead, kissing the boy on the cheek. Zayn stood protectively at the edge of the bed. Making sure nothing else happened to his baby. Liam laid against Niall's chest and felt relieved when the boy's chest rose and fell.

Being so close to Niall made the four boys very happy. "We are here for you Niall. We never left you" Liam whispered falling asleep in the blonde’s chest.

Niall's eyes shot open in a panic. His mouth was open ready to scream, when he saw he was surrounded by his boyfriends. Releasing his breath, Niall looked around at his sleeping boyfriends. "I'm sorry I almost got you sick" Niall whimpered.

"Not your fault" Zayn mumbled, leaning up from the bed he had his head rested on "It's our fault we didn't notice sooner. You gave us quite a scare Mr. Horan". Blushing Niall said "Sorry".

"Stop apologizing Niall, we blame you for nothing. I’m so sorry we couldn't be there for you in quarantine. We were in the room next door, but the doctors wouldn't let us in. I swear we never left you. Please believe us" Liam begged sitting up.

Louis and Harry sat up together excitement showing on their faces. "I missed you so much" Louis remarked. "Me too" Niall replied "I was so scared you guys left me in the hospital. I was afraid you stopped loving me".

"Would never ever happen" Harry declared "We love you way too much". "We were with you the whole time from the ambulance ride to right now. We never left your side" Zayn said.

Niall took comfort from their words. Breathing in, Niall’s face scrunched up in disgust. “What’s wrong babe” Liam asked in concern. Was the blonde in pain? “What stinks in here like something died?” Niall said, looking around the room.

“That would be your boyfriends. Since we haven’t showered in two days” Louis chuckled. “Eww why haven’t you showered” Niall shrieked, holding his nose. “Because we wanted to be with you 24/7. We didn’t want to miss you waking up” Zayn replied kissing Niall’s forehead.

“What is wrong with me?” Niall asked, looking at all the monitors “Will I be able to perform?”

“You have a severe case of meningitis, but you are going to be fine. The doctors have been giving you antibiotics to fight the bacteria, and it seems to be working” Harry reported, giving Niall a reassuring smile.  

The doctor came in and checked on the blonde. He told the boys Niall could be released in a week. In a week, all the meningitis would be gone from the boy’s system.

“You guys don’t have to stay with me the whole week” Niall said, seeing his boyfriend turn the hospital room into a living space. “Hell no I will never leave you alone again. I won’t be letting you out of my sight ever again” Louis reported taking out a new pair of clothes. The boys didn’t even leave the hospital to get clothes and electronics, they made their manager Paul bring them.

“I don’t think we can all squeeze into the same bed” Niall joked, watching his boyfriends try and crawl in his bed. Niall felt squished and yelped in pain when one of them poked his arm. “This definitely isn’t working” Niall said “Besides I’d rather not sleep next to four boys who haven’t showered since god knows when”.

“But I want to sleep with you” Harry whined. “How about we move chairs around the bed again and sleep like that again” Liam suggested seeing Harry pout.

“As good as that sounds, I’d rather not sleep in a wooden chair again. It is not the most comfortable place to sleep” Louis sasses rubbing his back. “Let’s move the bed from over there next to Niall’s” Zayn said, pointing at the empty bed on the other side of the room.

“I like your thinking Zayn” Louis said, attempting to push the bed, but he soon realized he wasn’t strong enough. Chuckling Liam walked over to help. Once the bed was moved the boys spread out on it and laid around Niall.

“You forgot two things” Niall joked. “Oh and what’s that babe?” Harry said crawling over to Niall. “Showers and food” Niall said.

“How could we forget about food? Niall can’t last an hour without food” Louis yelled, running around the room acting crazy, making Niall laugh. “Don’t worry I’ll go down to the cafeteria and get you all the hamburgers” Louis declared. “Hold on” Harry called “We can’t just get Niall junk food he needs some fruit in his system”. “You’re no fun” Louis whined. “Don’t be a baby” Harry said, grabbing Louis’s hand, leading him out of the room.

“I guess I’ll shower first” Liam added, taking off his shirt in the room. Hearing a whistle from Zayn, Liam quickly ran into the bathroom giving his boyfriend the finger.

Zayn looked over at Niall and cooed “Guess who gets you all to myself”. Niall giggled, seeing his boyfriend roll over to him. “I think you might need a shower too babe” Zayn whispered, nuzzling his face against Niall’s chest.

“Hey who is the sick one here? It’s not like I had time to shower unlike you four” Niall giggled. Zayn and Niall laid cuddled up together until the two boys returned with food. The blonde stuffed his face with food and ate like he hadn’t eaten for the past two days. “Just saying my dinner the other night was way better than this” Harry joked, looking at the disgusting food that was supposed to be chicken. “Not sure if this stuff is chicken or squirrel” Harry pointed out.   

Everything went back to normal, now that the four boys had their Niall. The past 48 hours seemed to be forgotten that night, having Niall awake and happy. “You guys promise you’ll never leave me” the blonde asked, once he finished eating. “With all my heart” Liam said, kissing Niall’s hand “I love you way too much”.

After a week Niall was finally admitted from the hospital. The next practice the boys held their breath, hoping it would go smoothly. Much to their surprise it did. Niall hit all his marks and played flawlessly on the guitar. “Good job Niall” the choreographer congratulated “Keep up the good work.” Liam was relieved when the blonde sang the correct songs and knew which direction was which. He tried to forget about the last practice they had, but it was still fresh in his mind. The day they could have lost Niall, the light and sunshine of their lives. Zayn stayed protectively around Niall the whole time, making sure he never tripped or needed help. Harry kept the boy constantly eating and drinking. “Harry I’m fine” Niall would yell, seeing his boyfriend walk over with a water bottle. Louis watched the blonde like a hawk, never letting the boy leave his eye sight.

“Guys can you stop fussing over me, I’m fine” Niall complained, when the boys got a 5 minute break. “Never. I will never almost lose you again” Zayn said and the others agreed.

“Lads I’m not going anymore” Niall declared running back to the stage to finish practice.

 

 


	13. Amsterdam (Niall Centric)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story is about the concert where a fan threw an Iphone at Niall's bad knee. Hope you enjoy it!

“Who is ready for an amazing show tonight” Liam exclaimed, flopping onto the couch in the boys’ dressing room. Tonight One Direction was performing in Amsterdam. Last time they were here the boys hold the whole arena dress in orange. It was a magical night that the band will never forget. “I’m so ready” Harry replied, sitting on top of Liam. Louis ran into the room and jumped on top of his helpless boyfriend.

Liam groaned when all of Louis’s weight hit him. Niall and Zayn came walking into the room and took advantage of the opportunity as well. Next thing Liam knew all four of his boyfriends were on top of him, crushing the life out of Liam. “You are all dead when I get up” Liam threatened. “You don’t scare me babe” Louis sassed getting up from Liam. Grabbing three ice cubes, Louis shot his boyfriend an evil look.

“Please don’t” the boy pleaded, seeing Louis walk over to him. Lifting up Liam’s shirt, Louis placed the ice cubes on his boyfriend’s back. Liam thrashed around but couldn’t get the ice cubes off of him. Zayn held down the boy’s hands, while Niall was a giggling mess on top of Liam. As the ice started to melt Liam screamed “Holy shit this is so cold”. He screamed as his shirt became soaking wet.

Niall had tears running down his face from laughing so hard. Harry was clutching his stomach and both boys fell into each other cracking up. Louis smiled, clearly pleased with himself. Zayn rolled his eyes and released Liam from his strong grip.

Once freed Liam shot up, knocking Harry and Niall off his back. The two boys fell to the ground and ended up intertwined with each other. Niall’s foot was on Harry’s face and the blonde’s head was on the boy’s knees. Harry was on top of Niall’s left arm and his hand was on the blonde's butt. Groaning Harry tried to sit up, but did not succeed following back onto Niall groaning.

Liam offered his hand to his boyfriend and Harry gladly took the offer.”How’s your knee Niall” Liam asked, knowing the blonde had recently gotten surgery. Niall wasn’t supposed to strain his knee and Liam feared that might have bit a little too much jostling for the boy. “I’m fine” Niall said, stretching his knee out to prove to his boyfriends he was fine.

“Okay good. Don’t want our little Niall going out on stage hurt” Louis added, kissing Niall’s knee before helping up his boyfriend.

The blonde blushed as he was helped up and Louis found it so endearing. Pulling Niall closer to him the blonde opened up his mouth and closed his eyes. Niall forced Louis’s mouth open and pushed his tongue inside. The warmth of Niall’s mouth sent chills down Louis’s spine. He shrived into the kiss and wrapped his arms around the blonde. Niall pulled away nipping at Louis’s lip making the boy want more. Shooting a wink at his boyfriend Niall scurried away.

“That was really hot” Harry moaned “I want next”. “Maybe tonight” Niall whispered seductively. Harry groaned in disappointment and gave Louis a jealous look. Zayn watched the scene play out and chuckled to himself. Stretching out his arms Zayn grabbed Liam and pulled him in. “Watch this” Zayn called out as he pulled Liam’s lips to his. Liam tasted like mint Zayn noted as their tongues collided with each other. Liam’s chapped lips rubbed against Zayn and the boy moaned in response. Liam pulled away smiling, trying to catch his breath. “Wow” he breathed “That was really something”. Zayn realized he had gum in his mouth. Must have been Liam’s he thought. He chewed it seductively, making sure to stick out his tongue when he chewed it. “Want your gum back” he taunted. Liam shook his head yes and went to kiss Zayn again.

“Boys” Paul their manager yelled walking into the dressing room “Time to get ready for tonight’s concert”. Paul looked around and saw Zayn and Liam holding each other inches away from touching lips. Louis and Harry kept looking at Niall longley. “Do I even want to know what happened in here” the man groaned. “I mean we can describe in gruesome detail what happened if that’s what you want” Louis sassed turning his attention away from Niall.

“I’m good. What happens in the dressing room and hotel room stays there. Now let’s get a move on the concert starts in a couple of hours” Paul yelled practically pushing the boys out of the room. Niall laughed seeing Paul like this. Sure One Direction didn’t come out that they were dating but people close to them were already speculating about it. This wasn’t the first time Paul walked in on the boys in weird positions. As long as he didn’t walk in on them buck naked their manager was happy. “Paul next time I would knock before you walk in” Zayn whispered giving him a devilish smile. Paul gulped and took note of what the boy said.

Each boy sat in a chair to get their makeup and hair done. Harry and Niall were next to each other and played footsie while they waited. Harry groaned as Niall rubbed his foot gently on top of Harry. Louis and Zayn held hands. Zayn kept rubbing his thumb on Louis’s palm. Tonight’s show is definitely going to be interesting Liam thought watching all his boyfriends.

When the boys finished with hair and makeup they went to warm up. Singing Don't’ Forget Where You Belong the boys warmed up their voices. Liam pulled Niall onto his lap as he sang. Niall shrived when he felt Liam’s warm breath on the back of his neck. Zayn smiled as he sang, he loved immersing himself in music. Harry and Louis were cuddled and holding each tightly. By the time the song finished they were staring into each other's eyes.

5 minutes till the show was called, so the boys went to the lift that brought them onto the stage. “Good luck tonight” Paul wished One Direction as they stepped on the platform. “You’re going to kill it up there” he added, giving the boys a thumbs up. 

Louis rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue. He loved it when Paul acted like a proud father. Squeezing Niall and Harry’s hand, he whispered “Let’s rock this concert”. The boys nodded their heads and Niall began jumping in excitement. Adrenaline filled the boys as they heard their names being chanted. The intro video was ending the crowd was slowly getting more and more pumped. 

The intro ended the five boys stepped onto the stage greeted by thousands of screaming fans. Niall’s face broke out in a big smile and Harry ran down the ramp getting the fans rallied up. Liam winked at Niall before heading to his spot for the opening number. Louis and Zayn walked down the center ramp together as Niall grabbed his guitar so he could rock out.

“You guys are definitely the loudest crowd” Liam yelled at the audience more than halfway through the show, earning screams from the whole arena. Zayn chuckled to himself, knowing Liam says that at every concert. No matter how many times his boyfriend said it though the crowd always gave the same response. Louis whispered “Do you think we will ever get a crowd that isn’t the loudest”. “With Liam on stage that is a big fat, no” Zayn said making him and Louis crack up.

On the other side of the stage Niall and Harry were getting water. “You’re doing amazing tonight babe” Harry declared handing the blonde a water bottle. “Thanks” Niall replied, blushing. Harry smacked the blonde’s butt and quickly ran to the center to be with the other three boys. Sighing Niall watched Harry do a cute little run which involved skipping and flailing his arms around. Laughing to himself, the boy finished his water and headed towards his boyfriends. 

“Only a couple more songs left, but you guys have been amazing crowd and I wish we could play longer. You guys are probably one of the best in the tour so far. Right lads?” Liam asked, looking at the other boys. “Definitely” Niall said, giving the crowd a huge smile. “We love you Amsterdam” Louis yelled. “Shall we do the next song then?” Harry said. The crowd screamed in response and Harry attempted to act surprised. “It’s time for Story of My Life” Zayn exclaimed signaling for the music to start. 

The opening chords for the song started playing and the boys got in their starting spots. Niall smiled, looking at the fans. He was caught reading a sign when he felt an excruciating pain in the back of his knee. “Shit” he muttered under his breath, looking down at the ground. Lying next to the boy was a cracked iphone. He attempted to walk off the pain, but that plan backfired. Taking one step forward Niall’s whole body was filled with agony. Looking down, he saw his knee was now bleeding. Great he thought I just had surgery on this knee and now my stitches are open.

The blonde just wanted to lay down on the stage and cry, but he needed to suck it up. The concert was almost over and there was no way in hell Niall was going to let down the fans. Hobbling over to his next spot he caught Louis watching him intently. Concern was written all over Louis’s face. Niall made a hand motion indicating he was okay and Louis did it back. Louis though, did not believe his boyfriend was fine. Deciding to talk to him after the show Louis turned away from the blonde and continued singing a fake smile plastered on his face.

Liam started to walk towards Niall so they could do their dance. The two boys would do a side step every time Niall sang his first solo in Story of My Life. It became a tradition and Liam loved doing it every show. The dance gave him an excuse to be next to his favorite blonde. Liam met eyes with Niall and the blonde shook his head no indicating no dance tonight. Liam was filled with disappointment and worry. Wondering why Niall didn’t want to dance he turned away from the blonde and continued to jam out to the song. He couldn’t really stop the concert and ask what was wrong with his boyfriend.

Niall sang his first solo, his voice coming out strained from the pain he was feeling. Leaning against the ramp Niall bit down on his lip to keep from screaming. Any movement on his leg made it feel like he was getting stabbed with a thousand needles. His vision became blurry with tears as Niall tried to finish the song. 

Harry watched Niall with worry. The blonde would take a couple steps and then hunch over and press down on his knee. Harry knew Niall hurt himself and he could tell the boy was in a lot of pain. The blonde’s chest kept puffing out as he breathed out in pain. Harry just wanted to pick Niall up and kiss his knee, but he knew he shouldn't since the boys weren’t out to the world yet. If the blonde couldn’t finish the show he would have told his boyfriends Harry thought. The curly haired boy continued to sing but his heart wasn’t really into the song anymore. Harry’s attention was on Niall as he watched him hobble around again clutching the ramp. 

Niall limped up the stage to get his guitar for Best Song Ever. His knee felt like it was on fire as it throbbed with each step. A tech member put the guitar around the blonde and whispered “Just one more song. You can do it”. Niall grunted in response sweat now covering his head from the pain he was constantly feeling. Last time he checked his knee blood had traveled down his leg. He knew the second he took off his pants there would be a trail of red down his leg. He groaned, thinking about the blood going into his new shoes.

“This is Best Song Ever” Liam exclaimed introducing the last song. Niall started playing the guitar and the song started. Concentrating on the guitar helped Niall stop thinking about his knee and all the pain. Unlike other shows Niall stayed in the same spot not wanting the strain his already messed up knee. In a blink of an eye the song was over and the blonde sighed in relief. He just really wanted to get off the stage and cry and scream. He watched his boyfriends run down the walkway and wave goodbye to the fans.

Attempting to follow Niall was quickly left behind. With each step the blonde groaned in pain and halfway down the catwalk he gave up. Sighing in defeat, Niall waved from the bottom of the walkway watching his boyfriends’ jealousy. “I give up” Niall mumbled before turning around and hobbling up the ramp. The blonde felt like he could pass out now from the pain. He gritted his teeth trying not to cry.

Zayn saw Niall try to walk up the ramp and decided to help him. Zayn took off running to the blonde with Louis hot on his heels. Louis reached Niall first and placed his hands on the blonde’s shoulders, trying to steady the boy. “Move” Zayn ordered at Louis and the boy quickly obeyed. “Let me help you, Ni” Zayn whispered. Liam and Harry reached the three boys and saw just how much pain Niall was in. “Wait till we are in the lift” Niall grumbled, not wanting the fans to see how helpless he was.

In the lift Niall tried to smile, but he couldn’t. When he tried to move his lips, they would start to wobble and there was no way in hell he was going to have thousands of fans see him sob. Harry waved at the cameras and Liam attempted to smile. Zayn stared at the blonde the whole holding his arm. He felt Niall shake and wobble. Louis didn’t look happy inside the lift nor did he try to hide it.

The second the lift went down and the boys were no longer seen Niall collapsed onto the ground sobbing. He clutched his knee and rocked back and forth. Liam’s motherly instinct kicked in and he leaned next to his weeping boyfriend. “What can I do to help” Liam asked, seeing how much pain his boyfriend was in. “I..I.. need… pain medication.. and ..ice” the boy stuttered in between cries. Zayn shushed Niall and gently picked the boy up. “I’m taking him to the dressing room” Zayn whispered, rubbing the blonde’s head.

The doors opened and Zayn took off to the room careful, not to jostle his sobbing boyfriend. Niall whimpered each time his leg was moved. “Harry go to see if there is any medicine in the first aid kit” Liam ordered “Louis go get Niall some ice now”. Louis and Harry both booked it running to get their jobs done so they could be with Niall. Liam pulled out his phone and called the doctors to see if Niall needed to go to the hospital. The doctor said Niall just needed to lay off his leg and ice it. Liam sighed in relief at least they didn’t need to go to the hospital.

Opening the door to the dressing room Liam heard sniffling and whimpering coming from Niall. “How is he” Liam asked Zayn. Zayn looked up and showed his boyfriend the cut on the blonde’s knee. “I think he might have opened up one of his stitches. Hopefully we have bandages. Niall won’t let me touch his knee so I can’t clean the wound” Zayn reported looking sadly at the blonde.

“Niall I talked to the hospital. They say we just need to ice your leg and lay off it for a little while. You need to let me and Zayn look at your knee so we can see how bad the cut it” Liam pleaded. Niall shook his head no and mumbled “No it hurts too much”. Suddenly the door banged open, revealing a very out of breath Louis who was holding a pitcher full of ice. Niall jumped when the door flew open and groaned at the sudden movement in his knee.

“Sorry Ni” Louis said when he realized he scared the blonde. “It’s fine” Niall replied through gritted teeth. “How much ice did you get Lou” Liam asked assessing all the ice his boyfriend was holding. “A lot. I just wanted to make sure I had enough for Niall” Louis explained who was red from embarrassment. “Smart thinking babe” Zayn said, kissing Louis on the cheek.

Liam heard footsteps coming down the hallway and he knew it was Harry. After months of wearing boots the boys grew used to the sound of the shoes. They could tell it was Harry coming from a mile away. “I have medicine” Harry yelled walking into the room. Zayn smiled seeing that Harry brought the whole first aid bag. Now he could bandage up Niall’s knee. 

“How you doing Ni” Harry asked, crawling over to Niall was lying on the couch. “Could be better” the blonde mumbled new tears running down his face. Harry wiped them away and whispered “Don’t worry we are going to make you better”.

Liam took out some pain medication and gave it to Niall. Shoving the pills in his mouth Niall gulped down the water and looked content. Louis put ice on the blonde’s knee and the boy began to feel less pain from his leg. Louis took out a washcloth and put in on Niall’s forehead. The boy was such a sweating mess Louis felt it was only right to cool his boyfriend off.

“Niall I really need to see your knee” Zayn said sadly. Niall’s eyes grew big and he looked at Zayn with fear in his big blue eyes. “We need to look at your stitches. Once we are done, you can rest” Zayn pleaded. “Fine but try not to make it hurt” Niall whimpered. Harry offered the blonde his hand to squeeze and Niall gladly took it.

“Should we cut his pant leg” Zayn asked Liam. “Yes” the boy replied “Niall why do your pants have to be so damn tight. We will just cut around the injury.” Louis retrieved scissors from a drawer and handed them to Liam.

Cutting open the pant leg just around Niall’s knee Liam saw dried blood. The pant fabric stuck to Niall and much to Liam’s horror he realized he would have to pull it off. “Sorry about this Ni” Liam muttered before ripping the piece of fabric off of the blonde’s leg. Niall screamed, sitting up and grabbing his knee. The leg throbbed like it had its own pulse. Niall’s head was spinning as he glared at Liam. “What the fuck” he demanded.

“Sorry” Liam replied “But I needed to get the fabric off your leg and this was the only way. Now stop being a baby and lay back down”. Still glaring at his boyfriend Niall did as he was told. Zayn took the washcloth and cleaned the dry blood off of Niall’s knee so they could see the stitches. Zayn flinched each time Niall groaned in pain when he wiped the washcloth across the injury. “I’m almost done” Zayn promised. Niall nodded his head and whimpered his lip beginning to wobble. Harry’s hand was turning red from the constant squeezing he was getting from Niall. 

“Stop Zayn” Harry ordered seeing how much pain Niall was in. “Can’t we do this tomorrow” Harry asked. “Do you really want Niall to sleep in his bloody jeans all night? Besides, we need to see how hurt his knee is Harry” Liam replied.

“Fine” Harry grumbled laying his head on Niall’s chest. “Done” Zayn declared getting up to wash the blood off of the washcloth. Louis noted that the washcloth started out white and was now stained red. Louis stood next to Liam to survey their boyfriend. 

The knee was swollen and red. One of the stitches at the top opened but the bleeding seemed to stop. Louis could see a bruise already starting to form. “You seem fine Ni. Nothing to take you to the hospital for. You just need a couple days rest and lots of loving from your boyfriends” Liam reported.

“What I really want is sleep so I can escape the pain” Niall replied closing his eyes. “Should we carry him back to the hotel” Harry whispered. “Let’s wait till he’s asleep before we move him again. Can’t you imagine how hectic the car ride back would be if he was awake. Every bump he would whimper in pain. I don’t know about you guys, but my heart can’t handle seeing Niall hurt anymore” Zayn said looking at his blonde boyfriend.

The four boys agreed to let Niall sleep for a little bit before they attempted to move him. They all sat in a circle in front of their sleeping boyfriend watching him. “What do you think did this to his knee” Harry asked, careful to keep his voice low. “I think a fan threw something on stage and it hit Niall” Liam replied staring at the swollen knee.

“I hate that fans throw objects at us while we are on stage. It’s like they think it won’t hurt us. If I ever find out who did this I will make sure they feel all the pain Niall is feeling right now” Louis threatened squeezing his hand into a fist. Zayn grabbed Louis’s fist and kissed it trying to calm down his boyfriend. “What’s done is done. We need to move on and make it our number one priority to help Ni” Zayn declared.

“I second that” Harry added, turning his attention away from who did this to how he can help Niall. The boys sat in silence for a little each caught up in their own thoughts. Niall’s snores snapped the four boys out of their traces. “Should we move him now” Louis whispered. Liam nodded his head and allowed Zayn to pick him up. The lads decided Zayn was the most gentle with their blonde boyfriend.

Harry ran ahead of Zayn and Niall and held the doors for them. Louis went to start the car and check to see if there were any fans still lurking around. Liam stood at the rear, making sure no fans attempted to sneak attack them. To their surprise though the arena was dead. It was crazy to think a couple of hours ago it was packed with thousands of screaming girls. Louis started the car and pulled it up to the exit.

Liam and Harry climbed into the car first and Zayn handed Niall to Liam. The blonde was laid across Harry and Liam. Zayn sat in the passenger seat, but turned his body around so he was facing his boyfriend. The car ride was dead silent and Louis drove super slow, making sure to avoid any pot holes. Lucky for them there were hardly any cars on the ride since it was so late. The car ride was nice with few bumps. Whenever a bump was hit Niall would whine in his sleep and the four boys would feel completely helpless. 

“I’ll pull up to the front of the hotel and let you out. Then I’ll go park the car” Louis whispered, letting the lads know the plan. Pulling up Zayn got out of the car and gently grabbed Niall. Harry and Liam climbed out and Zayn handed Niall back to Liam. “What are you doing” Harry asked, confused by Zayn’s actions.

“I’m going with Louis to park the car. I don’t think he should go alone. Don’t know who is in the parking lot at this late of an hour” Zayn remarked getting back in the car. Liam nodded his head and he and Harry went into the hotel.

Harry gasped at the sudden change of light. His eyes were used to the dark car now he was inside a lighted building. Quickly thinking he took off his shirt and put it over Niall’s eyes. He didn’t want his sleeping boyfriend to wake up from a sudden change of light. “Just can’t keep your shirt on Harry” Liam joked, seeing is boyfriend shirtless. “Hey eyes up here” Harry said when he saw Liam staring at his chest “Let’s just get Niall up to the room”.

Pressing the elevator button the two boys waited impatiently for the doors to open. Louis and Zayn walked in just as the elevator doors opened. Louis did a double take of Harry and asked “Should I even ask why”. Harry rolled his eyes and replied “I was helping Niall all this light was going to wake him up”. “Whatever you say” Louis sassed putting his cold hands on the boy’s bare back. Harry jumped at the cold touch and glared at Louis.

Walking into the room Liam kept the lights off. Louis threw the shirt at Harry and said “Cover up. Don't want any boys getting the wrong idea”. “Conceal don’t feel” Harry muttered under his breath. “I swear I’m with 5 year olds” Zayn commented, watching Louis and Harry bicker.

“Should we try to take Niall’s clothes off and clean him” Liam asked, seeing how sweaty and bloody the blonde was. “Did you forget about how he freaked out when you ripped his pant fabric away on his knee” Zayn remarked. “True. I guess we will clean him in the morning, then” Liam replied, placing Niall on the bed. 

Liam took off the blonde’s shoes and socks. The sock and shoe on his injured leg was red and sticky making the boy gag. Harry and Louis got changed into their pjs and crawled into bed, careful not to jostle Niall. Unlike other nights where the boys all cuddled around Niall they all slept apart in fear of hurting their precious boyfriend. Harry had a restless night. He wasn’t used to not cuddling Niall when he slept. Harry felt almost naked without Niall.

“Niall” Liam cooed “Time to get up”. Liam had allowed the blonde to sleep in till 10 but Niall needed to eat and his bandages had to get changed. “5 more minutes” Niall begged not even opening his eyes. “Niall James Horan get up right now or else Louis is going to eat all the pancakes and bacon” Harry proclaimed. The blonde shot up forgetting all about his injured knee. Big mistake. The boy scrunched his face in pain and fell over on the bed screaming. “Shit babe” Zayn mumbled “Deep breaths Niall. Louis bring in the pain medication now”.

Taking the medicine Niall sat up slowly from the bed and wiped away his tears. “Why am I still in the concert clothes” the blonde asked. “Because we didn’t want you freaking out like last night” Louis replied.

“We decided the best way to get you out of the clothes with minimal pain is putting you in the bathtub with them on. The dry blood won’t be sticking to your skin anymore, which will make it easier to change” Zayn suggested. Niall agreed to the plan and was carried to the tub. Liam took his shirt off and bandages and Niall hugged himself trying to hide his stomach. “Why you being so shy Ni? We have seen a lot more than your stomach babe” Harry said winking at Niall.

Sighing Niall was placed in the warm tub which felt surprisingly good. Zayn took out a cup and poured water onto the blonde’s head. “Zayn I think I can wash myself” Niall sassed taking the cup. “Are you going to watch me take a bath” the blonde asked after seeing his boyfriends sit around the tub.

“Maybe” Louis replied. “Lads I think I can clean myself without your help so please get out” Niall yelled smirking at his boyfriends. “Fine Mr. Feisty pants call us if you need any help or when you’re done” Liam chuckled leaving the bathroom. Louis and Zayn had to practically drag Harry out of the bathroom making Niall giggle.

Looking down at his knee Niall noticed the swelling had gone down and it didn’t hurt as much. That is not to say he still didn’t feel agony when he moved it but it was much more bearable. The blonde began the painful process of removing his dirty pants. Each time his knee moved a wave of pain hit him. After 15 minutes the boy finally had the tight pants off. Niall decided to never wear tight pants again. Signing in relief he leaned back against the tub and closed his eyes. He felt good in the tub and never wanted to get out.

“How you doing Niall” Liam called from outside the bathroom after 20 minutes. When the boy received no response he began panicking. Trying to open the door his heart stopped when he realized it was locked. “Harry did you lock the bathroom door when you left the bathroom?” Liam asked. “Yea, why?” Harry replied walking over.

“Tell me how is Niall supposed to open the door when he can’t even walk” Liam sassed anger boiling inside him. “Oh I really didn’t think that out” Harry responded, giving a sheepish smile. “No shit” Liam yelled. 

“Niall if you hear me, can you yell” Liam asked banging on the door. “What is going on” Zayn questioned seeing Liam hit the door. “Niall is in there and not responding what if he fell getting out of the tub? What if he hit his head? What if he is drowning?” Liam speculated beginning to freak Harry out who joined in on banging on the door.

“Stand back” Louis commanded appearing behind Zayn. Harry and Liam did as they were told and moved seeing Louis lift up his foot. Louis kicked the door off the hinges and ran into the bathroom. Liam stared in wonder he never knew how strong Louis was. That boy must really work out his legs. “Liam I swear sometimes you over react at everything” Louis chuckled pointing at a sleeping Niall in the tub “You got me all worked up from nothing. Shit what are we going to do about the door?” Harry laughed to himself, seeing Liam turn red.

“Niall” Zayn whispered, sitting down next to the blonde. Blue eyes met brown eyes and Niall smiled shyly. “I fell asleep in the tub didn’t I” Niall said. Looking over at the door, he asked “What happened?”

“You weren’t responding and Liam freaked out so kicked down the door” Louis reported. “My heroes” Niall joked laughing at the boys.

“Want some help getting out of the tub” Harry asked. Niall nodded his head so Harry put his hands in the water and grabbed the blonde. Carrying him to the bedroom Louis threw a towel around the shivering boy. Liam dried off Niall, while Louis and Zayn dressed the blonde in sweatpants and a black shirt. “I feel like a baby” Niall remarked. “Stop complaining babe. We love doing this for you” Harry said, kissing Niall on the cheek. “Now who’s ready to get picked up and have some lunch” Liam cooed pinching the blonde’s cheek like a baby. The boys decided to leave the door and just pay the hotel to fix it. Every time Liam walked by the broken door he would blush in embarrassment. 

Niall was placed on a chair and used another chiar to hoist his leg up. Louis brought over an ice pack and placed it on the boy’s knee. Smiling Niall loved the numb feeling he got when the ice touched his skin. “Should I cut up your food baby Niall and feed it to you” Louis joked cutting Niall’s chicken into tiny pieces.

Niall rolled his eyes and sassed “I think a 21 year old can feed himself”. Zayn cracked up hearing his boyfriend and spit his food all over the table. “Nice” Liam said, watching Zayn.

Harry pulled up a chair next to Niall and picked up a piece of chicken with a fork. Making an airplane sound Harry brought the food to Niall’s mouth. “If I could get up Harry you would be so dead” Niall threatened opening his mouth and accepting the food. “Love you too babe” Harry replied.

“Can I please feed myself” Niall begged just wanting to get through 5 minutes without his boyfriends treating him like a baby. “Not a chance I love seeing you pout and get annoyed. Besides it’s not like you can do anything about it” Harry sassed bringing another chicken up to the blonde’s mouth. Groaning Niall ate his lunch like a baby. Harry even wiped Niall’s mouth with a napkin much to the blonde’s horror. 

“Want to watch some TV Niall” Louis asked once lunch was finished. “Yes please” the blonde replied wanting to escape from Harry. He held out his arms so his boyfriend could pick him up more easily. Tsking Louis grabbed the boy saying “Looks like someone is getting used to being carried around”. Niall rolled his eyes and muttered “Shut up”.

Getting laid on the couch Niall quickly turned his body so he could face the television. “Let’s find something for the baby to watch” Louis chuckled, turning on the TV to Barney and Friends. “Oh god” Niall groaned “Please not Barney. Can’t we watch football or something?”

“Niall you are way too young to watch football. This is age appropriate for you” Louis sassed putting the remote across the room far away from Niall. Sighing in defeat Niall and called “Zayn please help me”.

Zayn walked into the room laughing and said “No can do. Besides kids your age love Barney. I mean, who doesn’t love a giant purple dinosaur singing with kids”.

“Are you going to join me at least in my torture” Niall asked giving Zayn a pleading look and patting the couch. “No” Zayn replied “I’ll be in the big kid room watching football”. And with that Zayn and Louis left the room holding hands, giggling like mad men. “I hate all of you” Niall yelled, hearing his boyfriends laughing.

After a couple of minutes of watching Barney Niall felt like his head was going to explode. Debating about what he should do the blonde decided to crawl to the remote. He heard his boyfriends in the next room cheering on the football game, but Niall knew they were just messing with him. There was no game on today it was probably just a repeat. Slowly Niall lowered himself onto the carpet.

Harry laughed watching his boyfriends in the other room. “Okay pretend someone just scored a goal” Louis schemed making all the boys cheer. “How long are we going to keep this up” Liam asked, feeling guilty for leaving the blonde alone. “Another minute and then we will join him and cuddle” Zayn replied.

“Niall what the hell are you doing” Harry screamed when he walked into the other room. Hearing Harry the other three boys came running in. “I’m trying to get the remote” Niall grunted pushing himself an inch forward. Louis fell to the ground laughing, Niall wasn’t even close to the remote. The blonde was sprawled out on the ground in a hilarious position. He looked like a beached whale with this stomach on the ground. Niall would move pushing his arms on the ground but he was so weak he would only move an inch or so. At the speed he was going it would have taken him an hour to change the channel. “I swear sometimes you are such a baby” Zayn cooed bringing Niall back to the couch.

The four boys piled onto the couch and then Niall was laid on top of them. “Shall we put on a movie lads” Liam asked grabbing the remote. “Yes but it must be child friendly. Can’t have little Niall watch anything to adult” Louis sassed smirking at the blonde.

Niall rolled his eyes, he knew it was going to be a long week of healing. He knew his boyfriends were going to baby the hell out of him. The blonde closed his eyes and accepted his fate. “Let’s just watch Guardians of the Galaxy and its PG-13 so Niall can watch it” Harry suggested.

The lads all agreed and the movie was put on. The five boys snuggled up together when the film started. Niall smiled, watching his boyfriends. His knee was hurting less and less and the swelling had gone down substantially. He would be back on his feet in no time thanks to his four boyfriends. “Niall eyes on the screen. You can see us anytime, but not a talking raccoon” Zayn joked, seeing the blonde staring at the lads. Sighing Niall turned back to the film knowing he had the world’s best boyfriends.


	14. The Charity Auction

"Bye lads" Liam said, waving at his boyfriends as he walked down the terminal at the airport. The four waved Liam goodbye shooting him kisses and winks. It was a month break for One Direction in between the On The Road Again Tour. The boys were all going home to see their families and rest. Touring can be very exhausting especially for the lads who go to a new place every week. 

"Well my flight leaves in 20 minutes, so I'm going to head over" Harry declared grabbing his suitcase. Kissing each boy goodbye on the cheek Harry turned around and went towards his plane.

Zayn pulled Niall in for a hug. He couldn't kiss the blonde since they were in public and not out to the world yet. "Bye Ni" Louis whispered into the blonde's ear making Niall shiver. "Call me when you land" Zayn said "I'll miss but it is only for a month". Zayn and Louis went down the other walkway since their flights were next to each other.

Niall watched his boyfriends walk away and sighed sadly. He was really going to miss them, but he was excited to see his family. The blonde couldn't wait to play with Theo and see his older brother Greg. With still an hour to spare, Niall decided to get some lunch in the food court. Lucky for him there were few fans in the airport since they had no idea One Direction was going home today. Usually the airport would be packed to the brim with screaming girls. Sure Niall enjoyed the fame but sometimes he just wanted a quiet day without fans watching his every move. Sitting at a table alone, Niall started to zone out blocking out the world. He ordered some pizza and ate it slowly.

"Last call for the flight to Ireland" a voice called out over the speaker. Niall shot up and ran to his terminal. The luggage twisted and turned as he dragged it down the hallway. “Shit I’m so late” Niall muttered. His hat flew off his head and Niall had to leave it behind. Seeing the gate come to view Niall yelled "Don't close the doors I'm coming".

Arriving, Niall had to take a moment to catch his breath. With beads of sweat starting to form on his head, he handed the workers his ticket. Once he was on the plane the doors closed immediately and Niall realized he just made it. If he was a second later he would have missed the flight.

Chuckling to himself, he knew Liam would have been disappointed. Whenever Liam is in charge the lads arrived at the airport 4 hours early and would just kinda sit around for those hours since they were so early. They usually killed time by listening to music and hiding from fans. Liam refuses to be late for anything much to the boys’ dismays. Plugging in his earbuds, Niall leaned against the seat and closed his eyes. He had a long flight ahead of him.

Niall got off the plane yawning. He had slept the whole flight and was feeling slightly refreshed. His heart pounded with excitement at the thought of seeing his mom and brother. Walking off the flight, the blonde heard a woman exclaim "Niall". Before he could even turn around, he was engulfed in a hug.

"Mom I missed you too" Niall said, wrapping his arms around Maura. After a couple of seconds Maura released her son and inspected him making sure he was healthy and getting taken care of. "Let me take your suitcase sweetie" Maura said.

"I can carry it mom. I'm 21 years old mom, I'm pretty sure I can carry my own suitcase" Niall replied laughing. He wasn't even home for five minutes and his mom was already babying him. Seeing his mom wasn't backing down, Niall surrendered his suitcase.

Walking to the car parked in front of the airport Niall saw Greg in the driver’s seat. "Greg" Niall screamed in excitement running towards his brother. His brother smiled seeing Niall and got out of the car. The brothers embraced both saying how much they missed each other.

Once the hugging was done, Niall's suitcase was put in the trunk and the family drove home where Theo and Greg's wife were waiting for Niall. The family had a huge dinner together and the blonde couldn't have been happier. Maura kept putting more food on Niall's plate every time he finished. "Mom I'm going to explode if I eat anymore" Niall said, seeing a whole new serving on his plate. "You're too skinny honey. You need to eat more" Maura ordered. Niall and Greg laughed together watching Maura worry over the blonde. "God you don’t know how much I missed this" Niall declared.

After dinner, the family talked about their lives and filled Niall in on everything he missed. Niall played with Theo not believing how big his nephew got. They raced cars around the house and played an epic game of hide and seek. Of course, Niall let Theo win, but the kid was a pretty good seeker. Greg and his wife left when it started to get late. They needed to get ready Theo for bed. Wishing his brother goodbye, Niall also decided to hit the sack for the night. He hadn't gotten a full nights rest in a while. Niall didn't get much sleep when he shared a bed with four other boys.

Thinking about his boyfriends, Niall realized he had forgotten to text them he landed. The blonde walked inside and grabbed his phone from his bag. Clicking the unlock button, he saw he had 20 missed calls and over 30 text messages. Skimming the messages he saw it was from all four of his boyfriends asking if he landed and was he alive. He clicked a voice mail and heard Liam say "Niall Horan if you don't call me in the next hour I am flying down to Ireland. You have all of us worried sick".

Niall quickly called Liam. The boy picked up on the second ring and said "Niall are you okay?"

"Yes I'm fine I kinda just forgot to call you. Sorry."

"It's fine you just scared us. I'll tell the others you are fine"

"Were you really going to fly down to Ireland to check if I landed?"

"Maybe"

“I swear sometimes you guys are too protective. So what are your plans for the break?”

“Louis and I are going to start working on the new album. What about you babe?”

“Not sure yet, probably just chill with my family. You should see how big Theo has gotten. Well, I’ll talk to you later I’m really tired. Love you. Bye”

“Love you too” Liam responded before hanging up the phone. Feeling content, Niall laid down and fell asleep knowing his boyfriends were safe and sound.

Niall woke up to see his mother staring directly at him hovering over the bed. He screamed in horror falling out of bed. “What the hell mom” he hissed, trying to crawl back in bed and cover himself up. He really didn’t want his mom seeing him in his boxers. Pulling the blanket over himself, Niall stared at his mom and they both cracked a smile. Niall swore his mother was the craziest person he knew.

“I was just checking to see if you were alive. It is 12:30 and you are usually up by now and consuming all my food” Maura joked. Niall couldn’t believe he had slept that late. He must have been really exhausted. “Niall” Maura added “Someone called not too long ago wondering if you would help them for a charity event.”

Niall thought about it and asked “Did they leave their number?” Maura nodded her head and went to go get it. “I’ll start making lunch. Greg and his family will be over in two hours” Maura said before giving Niall the number.

Rubbing his eyes, the blonde pushed himself out of bed and got dressed. He checked his phone seeing good morning texts from all the lads. Smiling he replied to each of them telling his boyfriends he missed them. Niall held his phone and typed in the number his mom left for him. After a couple of rings someone picked up.

“Hi this is Niall Horan. I was told you called a couple of hours ago about featuring me at your upcoming charity event”

“Oh hi Mr. Horan we didn’t think you would call back so fast. My name is Morgan Pope and my charity organization is Women’s Aide. We give support to women and children who can’t afford to take care of themselves.”

“Very cool. I would love to help”

“That is great. We are doing a charity event where we will raise money. It is an auction”

Niall knew where this was going. Taking a deep breath, he braced himself for what the woman would say “And we were wondering if we could auction off a date with you.”

Niall hesitated what if he got a creeper he had to go on a date with. But it’s for a good cause he thought. “Sure I would love to do it” Niall replied through gritted teeth.

“Thank you so much”

Morgan went on to give details like the date of the event, where it was at, and time. The date would only be two hours long, but a lot could go wrong in a couple of hours. The woman advertised everywhere that people could win a date with Niall. Much to his dismay, he knew the place would be packed with fans. 

The night came and his mother helped him get ready. “You handsome” she commented seeing her son wearing a black suit with a blue shirt. The shirt really brought out his eyes.

“I really don’t want to do this. I wanted to relax on my break not be trapped in a hall with screaming fans with tons of paparazzi. What if some weirder wins me for the date” Niall confessed.

“It will go fine and besides it is only for one night” Maura reassured. Niall’s whole family would be at the event front row. “We should leave soon if we want to get there on time”. Niall groaned hearing his mom and took one last look at himself in the mirror. His hair and outfit looked fine, but Niall still had an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

The drive there was silent except for the radio, which Maura put on. Out of the radio sang “Going out tonight changes into something else”. Laughing out loud Niall joined in with the song singing at the top of his lungs. Maura sang along and the car was filled with music. They danced together screaming the song and Niall forgot about the event. When his solo came on the blonde blushed a look of embarrassment on his face as he stopped singing. “You sound amazing Ni” Maura said, seeing Niall turn red. She rubbed her son’s knee and turned off the radio.

“The music video for that song was really fun to make” Niall added thinking about how he got to be on fire. It was pretty awesome. He remembered the boys and him laughing together when they watched the music video for the first time. He cringed at his acting skills and Zayn had kissed his nose with reassurance. “I really miss the lads”

“You will see them soon” Maura said “Looks like we are here.” The car pulled up to a huge auditorium and Maura parked the car. “Well I’ll see you after the show. Good luck honey. Don’t worry, I’ll bet on the date for you. Keep your fingers crossed I’ll win”.

Niall rolled his eyes at his mom’s comment. He imagined how funny it would be if his mom won a date with him. Putting his hands in his pocket, the blonde walked into the building. He kept his head down, hoping he wouldn’t be stopped by fans as he tried to find Morgan. “Niall over here” a woman yelled, waving her hands like a madman.

Assuming it was Morgan, Niall walked over to the woman. “Hey Niall thanks again for doing this. If you follow me this way I will take you up to the stage. I must say we are never sold out tickets for the charity event. We are going to raise so much money thanks to you”

“It’s no problem. I’m glad I could help”

Morgan led Niall to the stage where he sat at a large table with other people. He assumed they also helped run the charity. He gave a smile and waved when Morgan introduced him. Taking his seat, Niall was put in the end seat. He sat there awkwardly, not joining in on the conversation. Niall felt it would be rude to take out his phone so he just watched the crowd come in. Seeing Greg and his mom walk in Niall felt better about the situation. He waved at them wanting to go sit with his family. 

“Niall” Morgan said “You can go up to the buffet if you want”. The woman pointed to the food and Niall felt his stomach rumble. Nodding his head Niall headed towards the line.

The food looked delicious. He swore he saw five different kinds of chickens. The smell made Niall’s mouth water. Waiting in line holding his plate eagerly, Niall watched an older man in his mid thirties walk over to him. The man tapped Niall’s shoulder, making the blonde turn around. “Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Nick and I will be winning the date with you”. Niall stared in disbelief. He wanted to laugh, but he decided against it.

Nick grabbed Niall’s hand much to the boy’s shock and disgust and kissed it, leaving a trail of spit behind. “There are a lot of people here what makes you think you will win the date?” Niall asked, moving his hand away from the man.

“Oh I can assure you I will be winning. I can’t wait to spend a night alone with you” Nick whispered, getting really close to Niall. The blonde flinched feeling the man’s hot breathe on his ear. This was exactly what Niall feared the most, a creepy person winning a date with him. Silently cursing to himself, Niall got his food and headed back to his seat.

Nick sent Niall winks and kisses, making the blonde nearly gag. Walking back to his seat, Niall was grabbed and pushed up against a wall the food on his plate nearly falling off. Yelping when his back hit the wall Niall looked up to see it was Nick. “When I win the date we are going to go to my house and then I will take you up to my bedroom”

“We will be eating somewhere public if you win and I will definitely not be going home with you ever” Niall sassed pushing the man away from him. “That’s what you think” Nick mumbled under his breath stomping away.

Sitting down, Niall felt his heart rate pick up and he saw he was visibly shaking. Niall saw many directioners were at the auction and they kept yelling the blonde’s name. Niall put on a fake smile and waved at the fans even taking pictures with some. He tried to block Nick from his mind. The odds of him winning the date were slim so the blonde decided not to worry. Morgan got up and started the auction selling things like tickets and other items donated to the charity. 

Niall bit his nails getting more and more nervous as the auction went on. Pulling at his collar Niall saw he was covered in sweat.

“Alright everyone it is time for the big moment. Time to win a date with Niall Horan from One Direction” Morgan said getting the crowd rallied up.

The whole auditorium erupted in screams and Niall couldn’t help but get excited. Getting up, he walked over next to Morgan flashing the audience his famous smile.”We shall start the bets at $100” Morgan declared.

The money quickly went into the high thousands and Niall was impressed. He never thought anyone would willing want to spend so much money to go on a date with him. Before he was famous Niall was lucky if anyone even had a crush on him. As the price got higher and higher less people started bidding.

“$50,000” a man screamed, making the whole place gasp. Niall looked out to see it was Nick. Groaning Niall begged that someone else bet. “Please don’t let him win” Niall mumbled to himself.

Looking out in the crowd, he saw no one else was going to bet. Morgan began the countdown and the blonde felt panic seize him. He was scared shitless of going on a date with Nick. The man was staring directly at Niall smirking. “Going once, going twice well it looks like the gentleman in the front…”

“$60,000” a voice from the back screamed. The smirk on Nick’s face vanished and he turned around to glare at the person. The man remained silent though much to Niall’s happiness.

“$65,000” another voice screamed. It seemed as though four people were competing against each other for the blonde. The voices got closer and closer as they pushed themselves through the crowd and Niall saw it was his boyfriends.

“$100,000 for Niall” Liam yelled, winking at the blonde. Niall’s cheeks became beet red seeing the four lads. “$200,000” Harry said, giving a fake glare to Liam.

“$300,000” Louis sassed. Niall couldn't believe what was happening his boyfriends were supposed to be in England. He wondered how long the lads would keep up the bidding.

“$500,000” Zayn added showing he wasn’t ready to give up betting on Niall. The numbers got higher and higher as the boys battled each other for the blonde. Once it got up to the 900,000 Niall had enough and grabbed the mic saying “How much longer are you lads going to keep this up?”

“Until I win you” Louis replied, smirking devilishly. “Niall will be mine” Harry yelled. Shaking his head the blonde handed the mic back to Morgan.

“2 million” Zayn declared giving the boys a look. Niall watched Louis run over and whisper something in each of the boys’ ears. His heart started racing as each boy laughed evilly.

“Going once, going twice, going three times. Congratulations Zayn you have won a date with Niall Horan” Morgan exclaimed inviting Zayn to come on stage.

The boy took the mic and said “Actually I was betting for someone else, the true winner is Maura Horan. Come on up here Mrs. Horan and meet your date.” 

Niall’s mouth hung open in awe. He shook his head, meeting eyes with Louis. ‘I hate you’ Niall mouthed to his boyfriend. Louis made a heart shape with his hands and fell against Harry laughing, tears streaming down his face. Greg was banging his hand on the table laughing. More people joined in and Niall felt like he could die.

Zayn helped Maura climb on stage and gave her a hug. The woman took Niall’s hand claiming her prize. “Where will you be taking your date out to dinner Niall?” Morgan asked, trying to hide her giggles. “I’m not sure. I can definitely say I wasn’t expecting my mother to win” Niall replied blushing. 

“Well I would like to thank everyone for coming out. I wish you all a safe drive home” Morgan declared ending the auction and Niall’s humiliation.

Niall ran past his boyfriends towards his mom’s car tears threatening to spill down his face. The boy had never felt more embarrassed in his life and just wanted to get home. In the dark parking lot, Niall leaned against the car waiting impatiently for his mom to come.

“To bad I didn’t win” Nick huffed appearing from the car next to Niall. The blonde moved away from the man, but was stopped when his hand was grabbed rather forcefully. “Maybe we can still go out”.

“No, I have a boyfriend and I think they must be worried about me. I should probably get going”

“Don’t lie to me bitch” the man growled pulling Niall closer.

“I would let him go if I were you” a voice hissed. Niall turned to see Zayn and Liam standing in front of them looking extremely pissed. Zayn continued “You have 5 seconds before I make you”.

“Whatever. I wouldn’t want to waste my time on you. I mean you couldn’t even win a real date. Your little mommy gets you. You will always be alone” Nick yelled, storming away from the three boys. 

Niall slid to the ground crying. Liam sat down next to his boyfriend and held him. Harry and Louis came out a couple seconds later and were surprised by the scene. “What happened” Louis asked. Zayn retold the events and Louis went around the parking lot looking for the asshole to teach him a lesson. Harry joined Liam on the ground.

“That guy didn’t know what he was talking about” Liam said, trying to comfort the blonde.

“I know. I know. It’s just I must look like such a loser winning a date with my mom” Niall said, wiping tears from his eyes.

“No way. We were just trying to be funny. I’m sorry Ni” Liam apologized.

“It’s fine. How did you guys even know about the auction in the first place”

“I saw an ad for it in the news and I couldn’t let anyone have you” Harry replied.

“Besides, Ni you know we get jealous easily” Louis added crouching down in front of Niall. “We were worried that some creeper was going to get you.” 

“Lucky we were here because it looked like that man might have gotten his hands on our little Niall” Liam responded nuzzling his head on the blonde’s shoulder.

“Are you mad at us Ni” Zayn asked. Niall thought about it. Sure they embarrassed him and put on a huge show bidding against each other, he wasn’t mad. The boys had saved him from Nick. “No I’m not mad, just a little embarrassed”.

“Sorry we got a little carried away” Harry apologized. Liam helped Niall up and they took him back inside. The boys put Niall in the center forming a protective circle around him. There was no way in hell they were letting anyone else have their man.   
Maura walked towards Niall once they were inside and said “If you want, you don’t have to go on a date with me”.

“No way mom. Why wouldn’t I want to spend an evening with” Niall replied hugging his mom. He looked around for Greg and couldn’t find him. The blonde assumed they left once the auction ended. 

“Good I expect to be taken to a 5 star restaurant and have a limo pick me up” Maura commanded.

“I’m going to go broke because of you woman” Niall joked.

“And then maybe you can go out with us” Harry said, wrapping his arm around the blonde’s waist. “I missed you” he whispered in Niall’s ear.

Maura took that as her cue to leave and she walked to her car. “Niall next time you do an auction can you please tell us” Liam asked.

“Why”

“Because it just made me so jealous. It drove me crazy thinking of someone getting to take you out to dinner” Louis responded.

“I was afraid you would move on from us. Maybe the date would be so good you would break up with us” Harry confessed.

Niall chuckled “There is no way in hell that would ever happen”.

“Sorry we get a little protective over you sometimes” Liam said.

“Don’t be I like it. It is really cute” Niall replied. And with that the four boys took Niall back to their hotel and showed the blonde just how much they missed him.


	15. Sleepless Nights (Niall Centric)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So my friend Morgan gave me the idea of giving Niall exploding head syndrome and hypnagogic jerks. If you are curious what those are you should look them up or just read the story. Hopefully you like it.

Niall felt like he was falling, but he couldn’t see anything. Everything was pitch black and Niall felt his heart racing. He knew he was falling, but there was nothing he could do about it. Niall felt completely helpless. He closed his eyes, expecting to hit the ground. Instead his eyes shot open and he was in bed.

Leaning up and throwing off the covers, Niall tried to collect himself. He nearly gave himself a heart attack. He had never experienced a dream like that before. It felt so realistic that he could have sworn he was actually going to hit the pavement. 

Niall looked at his clock and saw it was only 2 in the morning. Pulling up the covers, Niall snuggled against the pillow and fell asleep once again. The falling sensation did not disturb the blonde for the rest of the night. He thought it would be a one time occurrence, but boy was he wrong. 

“Wake up” a voice screamed, in Niall’s ear. Niall woke up startled and nearly fell out of the bed. 

“What the hell Liam” the blonde complained, seeing his boyfriend already wide awake. “Can I please sleep for like 5 more minutes”

“Nope we have a photoshoot in two hours and we still need to wake up the other lads” Liam reported, dragging Niall out of his bed. The blonde tried to hide under the covers, but Liam was having none of that. Ripping off the covers, Liam forced his boyfriend out of bed. 

All the boys were forced to stay in separate hotel rooms courtesy of management aka Paul. What might have caused the man to take such a drastic measure you may ask? Well he might have walked in on One Direction all in bed doing some very inappropriate things together. Paul was scarred for life and can’t even make eye contact with the boys anymore. Whenever he did Paul was hit with war flashbacks. In order to keep the world from finding out, the boys were forced to have to sleep in separate rooms. Sometimes Paul will put the lads in different hotels. The manager was driving One Direction crazy, but at least he didn’t try to break up the boys.

Liam threw some clothes at Niall and told him to get dressed. The blonde did as he was ordered and slipped on a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a white v-neck shirt. 

“You go wake up Zayn. He only seems to get up for you in the mornings” Liam confessed, smirking and handing Niall the sleeping boy’s room key. Niall laughed, thinking about the last time someone tried to wake up Zayn. Zayn might have thrown a vase at Liam one morning. And since then Liam has refused to wake up Zayn.

“Fine” Niall agreed. He turned in the direction of Zayn’s room and set off. Walking down the hallway, he went up two flights of steps and down another hallway to get to Zayn’s room. Taking out the key, Niall inserted it in the door and waited for the green light to appear. When he saw the light, he turned the door handle and tiptoed inside the room. 

Zayn’s bedroom door was wide open and the blonde could hear him snoring. “Zayn” Niall cooed “It’s time to get up”.

Zayn’s eyes snapped open and he looked around the room trying to find the person who dared to disturb his beauty sleep. Once his eyes met Niall’s his gaze softened. “Alright babe. I’m getting up” Zayn sighed, sitting up. Zayn could never say no to Niall and he would not be starting today. 

After Zayn was dressed and ready the two boys met up with the others. The five lads piled into a black SUV. When they were all inside and the doors shut they quickly began cuddling and making out. The windows were blacked out so no one outside of the car could see them.

“I missed you boys last night” Louis whined, intertwining his hand with Niall’s.

“Me too. It is lonely sleeping without you guys” Harry added. “Besides we always had so much fun at night”

Liam rolled his eyes and snuggled against Zayn’s shoulder. 

The day went by fast. Next thing Niall knew, he was getting back in the car and fighting sleep. Today they had the photoshoot, which took forever. The boys kept getting distracted and lots of times one of them wasn't even looking at the camera. The photographer almost pulled out his hair in frustration. He had to use a bouncy ball to get everyone to look in the same direction at the same time. The photographer did not expect One Direction to act like such children. What would have been a short shoot took over 4 hours. 

Paul ordered One Direction to their rooms to get some sleep. They had another packed day tomorrow, which consisted of interview after interview. Kissing each other goodnight, the lads headed to their rooms not really in the mood to bicker with Paul. They were too exhausted to care.

Harry fell face first on his bed and didn't even bother to change. Sleep quickly claimed the boy. Liam decided to hit the gym before he went to sleep much to Paul's annoyance. No one though, got in the way of Liam and the gym. Zayn took a quick shower and drew a sketch in his book before going to sleep. Louis played some video games before sleep took hold of him. He fell asleep with the controller panel still in his hand. 

Niall threw off his clothes and scurried under the covers. After a couple of minutes, he fell into a dreamless state. Suddenly, the sensation of falling hit the boy again. One second he was having a peaceful night, the next he was free falling, watching the ground get closer. But instead of hitting the ground, he woke up in bed again. Niall sat up having to catch his breath and slow his heart rate down. That falling sensation really freaked him out. 

It took about a half an hour, but Niall finally calmed down. He saw it was nearly three and he tried to fall back asleep. The next couple of hours, Niall had a restless sleep and continually woke up. When his alarm rung, Niall just turned it and went back to sleep.

Louis walked towards the blonde's room, shocked the boy wasn't awake. Opening the door, Louis ran to Niall's room. He jumped on his bed yelling "Get up".

Niall glared at his boyfriend and threw a pillow at him. Louis gave a betrayed look and fell back onto the bed. He pretended the pillow hurt him and rolled around in pain. "Come on Niall. You need to get ready, we have a busy day".

Groaning, Niall got out of bed and went into the bathroom. "The lads and I are downstairs at breakfast. Come down when you are down getting ready" Louis said, leaving the room.

Niall felt slightly tired, but nothing he couldn't handle. He quickly put on some clothes and joined his boyfriends for breakfast. They had gotten him an order of pancakes, 2 scrambled eggs, French toast, and home fries. "Is this enough food Ni?" Harry asked, seeing the blonde sit down at the table.

"No, but it will do" Niall joked, taking a huge bite of his pancake. Paul came and got the boys once they were finished eating. He broke the boys into pairs for the interviews. When all five were interviewed together, it was complete and utter chaos. One of them usually never talked and they constantly interrupted each other. When together the boys didn’t answer the questions, but instead joked around.

Harry and Niall were paired together and drove off to their first interview. Liam, Zayn, and Louis made up the other group. The boys said goodbye to each other by making out, much to Paul's horror.

"Really boys" Paul complained, seeing Harry shoving his tongue into Zayn's mouth. Louis smirked seeing Paul's expression. He grabbed Niall and pulled him in for a kiss. Niall tasted like syrup Louis noted. It must have been from the pancakes. Niall’s chapped lips rubbed against Louis's, making Louis moan quietly. Niall opened his mouth and Louis went in his tongue twisting around Niall's. 

Louis pulled away and whispered "See you later babe". Niall blushed and went over to Liam and Zayn who gave the blonde a hug and quick peck on the lips. Harry and Louis were snogging and had to be pulled apart by Paul who claimed they were going to be late. 

Harry and Niall had fun in the backseat on the way to the interview. The driver couldn't see them, but he could hear them. He wished he had brought some headphones, because the boys were very loud. 

The interview was boring, as the two boys were asked the same questions from every other interview. Questions like who is single, what do you look for in potential girlfriends? It had become so routine that Niall didn't even need to think to answer the questions. Harry charmed his way through every interview though, making his answers seem genuine and different. His flirtatious smirk was driving Niall and the interviewer crazy. 

After the day was over, the lads got dinner they headed back to their separate rooms. They would argue to sleep together, but hearing Paul bitch got on all the boys nerves. The five boys planned to sneak into each other's rooms at the end of the week. 

Niall once again woke up in the middle of the night dreaming about falling. He waited until he calmed down before he attempted sleep again. This went on for the rest of the week. Niall having a falling sensation and waking up. He was beginning to lose sleep, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Sure he was tired but he could survive. 

Tonight was the night the lads were going to sneak into Harry's room to spend some much needed time together away from management. At one in the morning, the plan went into action. Niall quietly opened his door and tiptoed down the hallway. Harry was two floors below the blonde, so Niall decided to take the elevator down.

He cringed when the elevator dinged, fearing it would wake up Paul. When no one came running down the hallway, Niall released his breath and stepped inside, pressing the down button. Louis and Liam were already in Harry's room when Niall arrived. The second Niall walked in he was tackled by Liam who kissed him all over his face. "I missed this" he confessed, nipping at Niall's ear.

When Zayn finally arrived, the boys headed to the bedroom. Just when things were about to get interesting, the five boys heard Harry's hotel door slam open. "Shit" Zayn whispered, pulling up his boxers. 

"I am giving you 1 minute to make yourself decent before I come in" Paul yelled, scaring all the boys. Harry threw on a robe while Liam put on his pants. Niall was still dressed and chuckled silently as his boyfriends frantically looked for clothes to put on. 

After a minute, the bedroom door flew open, revealing a very pissed off manager. "Do you know how hard it is to keep your little relationship a secret. The hotel cameras caught you all sneaking off. Lucky for you I deleted the video before the security guard could give it to the media'

'Harry and Niall how could you be so stupid. I don't want to know what you were doing in the backseat, but I had to pay the driver extra so he wouldn't talk. Zayn, Louis, and Liam I can't even believe what you guys did. I had to buy a new back seat for the driver. You guys are being stupid and reckless and now there will be consequences."

Harry laughed out loud when he heard Paul had to buy a new backseat. He imagined what his three boyfriends did and chuckled even more.

"Enjoy your last night together, because in the morning you will be in separate hotels" Paul screamed, storming out of the room. The lads sat in silence after their manager's outburst.

"What do we do" Harry asked, breaking the silence.

"I'll talk to Paul tomorrow after he calms down. We can work something out. There is no way in hell he is separating us" Liam declared.

"Good because I would rather die than not be with you" Zayn confessed, pulling Louis in for a hug because he was on the verge of crying. 

The lads decided to just snuggle up and go to sleep. The mood of doing anything was lost after Paul left the room. Niall was put in the middle, while Harry and Liam slept on either side of him. Zayn spooned Liam, while Louis spooned Harry.

That night Niall was not haunted with the feeling of falling. He slept like a baby and woke up feeling refreshed. In the morning, Paul sent Harry, Liam, and Zayn to a different hotel. They stayed on opposite ends of the hotel and were under constant watch by Paul. 

The lads did put up a fight when they were forced to separate. Zayn was getting his fist ready to punch when Liam stopped them. “Please don’t” he begged “Just listen to Paul. Arguing and fighting will only make it worst”. The four boys listened to Liam. Zayn was slightly disappointed he really wanted to punch Paul. Liam pulled aside the manager and set up a meeting with him at the end of the week to discuss the relationship and sleeping arrangements. 

Louis was still staying in the same hotel as Niall, but sadly on the opposite end. "This is bullshit" Louis declared, watching the three boys drive away. He wrapped his arm around the blonde's hip and comforted him. "Don't worry Liam will fix this. We just have to survive a week without each other".

Seeing Niall was about to cry, Louis added "Hey don't cry at least we have each other. There is no one I would rather be stuck with than you. We will be fine". Niall nodded his head and snuggled his head on Louis's chest. Louis wrapped both hands around the blonde and they embraced each other.

Harry sat in the middle of Zayn and Liam and snuggled up against them. “It’s not fair” he complained.

“Don’t worry babe I will fix everything” Liam reassured, kissing Harry’s forehead. “We acted immature and reckless. I just need to convince Paul we won’t do anything like that again”. 

Zayn grabbed Liam’s hand and squeezed it. He knew the lads could get through this. “I love you” he declared, making Harry and Liam smile. “Nothing will ever split us up. I hope your talk with Paul works because if not I will have a nice little chat with him”.

At the new hotel, Paul escorted the lads to their new rooms. Each were room was on a separate floor far away from each other. “Paul I think you might have outdone yourself” Harry joked, trying to make light of the situation. It felt more like a prison, than a luxury five star hotel. 

Paul shook his head and shoved Harry in his new room. “Goodnight. I will see you in the morning” the manager commented, shutting the door. Harry plopped down on his bed and pulled out his phone calling his boyfriends. 

“How you doing” Harry asked, when all five lads were on the line.

“Okay I guess I hate that we are in different hotels” Louis replied.

“We just need to survive till the end of the week” Liam added.

“Yea and what if your plan doesn’t work” Louis sassed.

“It will trust me”

The conversation ended with each boy saying goodnight and I love you. Niall smiled when he hung up the phone. Plunging in his phone to charge, Niall laid down in his bed and closed his eyes. 

BANG. Niall shot up covering his ears. The blonde whimpered, as he heard a ringing sound fill his head. He looked around the room trying to figure out what could be making that sound. After a couple of seconds, the ringing stopped and Niall released his breath and moved his hands away from his head. 

The sound freaked Niall out. He had never experienced anything like that. Turning on the light, Niall looked around for the source of the banging and ringing. His search was unsuccessful, so Niall reluctantly decided to go back to sleep. 

Just as sleep was about to take hold of Niall, he heard a loud bang again which nearly gave him a heart attack. It sounded so close to him like it was practically inside his head. Niall checked the room again, but went back to bed empty handed. It took a while for Niall to fall back asleep, he was petrified to hear the bang again. 

The ringing of his alarm woke the blonde up the next morning. Last night had freaked him out. He was going to complain to the hotel for the loud noises. Heading down to the hotel lobby Niall found the manager. 

“Excuse me” Niall said, getting the woman’s attention. The woman turned and gave the blonde a fake smile.

“Is there anything I can help you with sir?”

“I would like to complain about some loud bangs last night coming from my room”

The woman typed in Niall’s information to find out what floor he was staying at. “I’m sorry but there were no other complaints of bangs. Nothing was going on around your floor. I am not sure what you heard” the woman declared, looking confused at the blonde.

“Oh well thanks for checking” Niall said, walking away embarrassed. 

The elevator dinged and Louis came out running towards his boyfriend. “How did you sleep babe?” Louis asked, wrapping his arms around the blonde’s chest.

“Okay I guess” Niall responded, pushing Louis off of him. Louis look slightly offended. “Hey I don’t want to get in trouble with Paul”.

Louis nodded his head, but still looked sad. 

After breakfast Niall and Louis went to the stadium to practice for their upcoming concert tour. When they arrived, they saw the other lads were there. Harry ran towards Louis and Niall engulfing both boys in a hug. “I missed you” he exclaimed.

Paul walked in and cleared his throat. Harry dropped his arms and backed away from his boyfriends. “Good now that you are all here, shall we begin practice?”

Zayn cursed under his breath. His was not happy with how their manager was treating them. Liam saw Zayn seething his anger and whispered “Calm down. Yelling at him will not help us”. 

Zayn became less tense as he released some of his anger. He followed Paul to the stage and got into his opening spot. “Good job Zayn, I like your enthusiasm. Lads you should be more like Zayn. You see he is already in his opening spot.” Paul said.

“Wow Zayn such a role model” Louis sassed, climbing up on the stage. “If only I was more like him”. Zayn smirked as Louis walked by. He felt a hand smack his bum and grab it. 

“Lou” Zayn mumbled “Not here”. Louis chuckled, going to his spot. Practice went fine. Niall was tired, but he pushed through saying he would just go to bed earlier that night. 

Once practice was finished One Direction was escorted back to their hotel rooms, each boy riding in a separate car. Dinner was served in the lads rooms. The five boys skyped as they ate their food. There was no rule about them skyping or calling each other. 

“So what exactly are you going to say to Paul” Harry asked, taking a big bite of his salad. Harry loved healthy food and cringed seeing how bad his boyfriends were eating. He usually forced them to eat vegetables and fruit, but without him there all the lads were eating junk food. “Louis please tell me that is not your dinner” Harry whined, seeing Louis’s plate was just filled with carbs. 

“Hey at least I am not like Niall. Look he is just eating potatoes” Louis joked, ratting out the blonde.

“Louis” Niall growled, hiding his plate from the camera. Harry gasped, seeing the blonde’s plate all that was on it was different forms of potatoes. Harry saw tater tots, french fries, mashed potato, and a baked potato. 

“Niall I feel like I a going to throw up just looking at your plate” Harry gagged. 

“Guys shut up Liam is trying to speak” Zayn commanded, when he noticed Liam continually trying to open his mouth to say something. 

“Thanks” Liam replied. “So my plan for Paul is to tell him how mature we are. We have to promise to not be all touchy and feely in public. Paul should get hotel rooms that are joined together so we can sneak into our rooms without getting caught. And if he doesn’t listen I will threaten to get him fired”.

“Wow babe you are so hardcore” Louis remarked, smirking darkly. “Never knew you had such a dark side.” Liam winked at Louis sticking out his touch.

“It is getting kind of late. I am going to hit the shower and then go to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow” Harry said.

“You can always leave the camera on and give a private show” Louis exclaimed.

“You wish” Harry replied, turning off the camera. The other lads quickly signed off when Harry left.

Niall sighed sadly, as he closed his laptop. He really didn’t want to go to sleep. Fearing the loud noise or falling sensation the blonde fought sleep. Eventually he lost the battle and was soon snoring in his bed, curled up against a pillow. 

It was a dreamless night. All Niall saw was black. Suddenly a banging sound filled his head and Niall woke up to his head ringing again. He felt no pain, but he felt like he should. Niall sat up scared that all of this stuff seemed to have come out of nowhere and it was beginning to scare him. 

Niall tried to fall back asleep, but he feared being woken up by the loud bang. He tossed and turned the rest of the night never fully going to sleep. 

The blonde cracked open his eyes in the morning, when he heard the beeping from his alarm. Checking himself in the mirror, Niall saw bags under his eyes. He felt like shit since he had so little sleep last night. 

The car ride over to practice was silent because Paul made them drive over separately again. Paul was wasting lots of gas and money by having the lads each take different cars. Niall tried to take a quick power nap in the car. Leaning his head against the window, Niall fell asleep to the steady movement of the car. Once Niall was fully asleep, his head felt a horrible pain like a bomb had exploded in it along with the ringing. Leaning up the blonde clutched his head, but again he felt no pain. With his heart rate elevated, Niall tried to calm himself down. The boy leaned against the back seat and whimpered. He hated falling asleep knowing he would hear a ringing sound. 

At practice Niall’s boyfriends immediately noticed how tired Niall looked. “Looks like someone partied a little too much last night” Louis joked, seeing the blonde with bags under his eyes. 

“Shut up Lou” Niall remarked, giving a playful shove at Louis. Liam watched Niall curiously, sensing something wasn’t right with the boy. Zayn must have sensed Liam’s distress and protectively wrapped his arm around the boy’s waist.

“I bet he just stayed up late on Twitter. I will tell him to go to bed earlier” Zayn whispered in Liam’s ear. 

Liam nodded his head and replied “Thanks”.

Practice went smoothly and the boys were allowed to go home early. Paul even let the boys go out to dinner together. He realized he was kinda being a hardass on One Direction. They were only teenagers. The lads of course, choose Nandos to please their little Niall. Even though they couldn’t be affectionate towards each other, it was better than talking over skype.

“Niall why do you look so tired” Liam asked, observing Niall yawn for like the tenth time since they sat down.

Niall shrugged and replied “Just didn’t get enough sleep”.

“Well tonight you are going to be extra early Ni” Zayn ordered, squeezing Niall’s hand from under the table. And with that the conversation about Niall’s lack of sleep was done. Liam watched as Harry and Louis did footsie under the table. He smiled as he held Zayn’s hand, realizing how much he missed Zayn’s touch. 

Leaving the restaurant, anxiety filled Niall. He didn’t want to fall asleep. He did not want to go to his hotel room and be alone. “Please don’t leave me” Niall whimpered, when he saw Harry, Liam and Zayn climbing into the car.

“Did you say something Ni” Zayn called out taking a step away from the car. Niall shook his head no. He was embarrassed to tell his boyfriends what was happening. Zayn shrugged and back into the car. 

“Come on Niall” Louis whined pulling the blonde into the other SUV. “I don't want Paul getting mad at us”. 

When they arrived at the hotel, Louis ordered Niall to go straight to bed. The blonde shuffled to his room anxiety filling him with each step he took. He really did not want to hear any loud bangs in his sleep tonight. 

Niall decided to not sleep. That way he could avoid waking up to the banging sound. He kept all the lights on in his hotel room and sat on the uncomfy couch. He hoped this would help keep him awake. Niall sat on Twitter, letting time fly by. Niall might have been tired, but there was no way in hell he was going to sleep. At about 2 in the morning Niall’s phone rang, and he saw Zayn was calling him. He let the call go to voicemail. 

Clicking on the voicemail he heard Zayn say “Niall Horan you better pick up the goddamn phone. I know you are awake, you just favored a tweet 1 minute ago. Call me back right now!”

Sighing, Niall redialed the number. On the second ring Zayn picked up. “What the hell are you doing awake” Zayn hissed. “Do you know what time it is”.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realized how late it was. I will go the sleep right now” Niall lied, trying so hard to sound surprised. 

“Fine, but I don’t want to hear you whining in the morning when you are super tired. You did this to yourself”

“I know”

“Well goodnight. I better not see you on twitter anymore tonight”

“What about you. Why are you up so late” Niall sassed.

“Because Niall I always stay up late. Just go to bed Niall. I love you” Zayn said, before hanging up the phone.

Niall put down his phone and cursed himself, how could he be so stupid. He knew, he would need to be more careful the next time he pulled an all nighter. Since his phone was out of the question, Niall decided to watch some tv. 

At some point during the night, Niall fell asleep. Late night Tv can only be so interesting for so long. It was probably the fifth episode of Full House that put the boy asleep. And just as fast as he fell asleep, he woke up to a big loud bang in his head. 

Niall’s heart was racing as he sat up. No matter how many times he experienced it, the sound still freaked him out. He felt so powerless against it. Niall pulled a pillow against his chest and screamed into it. Releasing some of his anxiety and fear. Eventually he cried into the pillow and imagined it being one of the boys. Right now he just wanted his boyfriends sitting next to Niall, telling him everything will be okay. Instead all Niall had, was a small couch pillow. 

The rest of the night Niall drifted in and out of sleep. His anxiety kept in from totally going under. Niall guessed he might have gotten a solid hour and a half of sleep, which definitely was not good or healthy.

“Niall you look horrible” Louis remarked, when he saw Niall leave the elevator.

“Thanks Lou” Niall replied, rubbing his eyes which bags. He could have sworn the bags under his eyes had their own bags. He looked like a hot mess. Niall didn’t even bother to brush his hair before he left his room. 

“Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine, just a bit tired”

“How much sleep did you get babe” Louis whispered, pulling Niall closer. Niall didn’t answer and just gave Lou a sad look. “Well how about you sleep on the way to practice”.

Louis led Niall to the car, practically carrying the tired boy. Paul had decided to let the boys ride together. He realized how stupid it was to make them all ride over separately. “Lay down” Louis ordered, pointing to the back seat. Niall shook his head no. “Why not”

“Sleep is scary” Niall confessed. 

“What do you mean” Louis asked, trying to get a response from his boyfriend. Niall shook his head and plugged in his ipod. “Don’t you dare ignore me Niall Horan”. Niall though, did not look up, making Louis huffed in frustration. “I swear you are the most stubborn boy”. 

Louis was worried about his boyfriend. Unlike the other boys who told the lads when they weren’t feeling well or when something was bothering them Niall would hold it in. He never complained to the boys about anything. They one had to beg the blonde to admit he had a fever and take off practice. Louis knew Niall was hiding something and was planning on getting to the bottom of it. 

Louis pulled aside the other lads when he and Niall arrived at practice. “We need to talk” Louis said, signaling for the three boys to follow. He made sure to do this when Niall was warming up with the band because you know he plays guitar.

“What is the problem” Harry asked.

“Niall is the problem. He got like no sleep again last night” Louis confessed.

“That bastard” Zayn muttered.

“What” Liam asked at Zayn.

“I called Niall and told him to go to sleep. Obviously he didn’t listen”

“Maybe he is doing this to get at Paul” Harry offered. “Yea that is probably it. Maybe Niall thinks Paul will let us stay together if he sees how little sleep Niall is getting”.

Zayn and Liam agreed with Harry. Louis on the other hand didn’t. “I don’t think that is it guys. You lads did not see him this morning. He was terrified to go to sleep. I am worried”.

“I will talk to him. But we all know Niall won’t admit what he is feeling” Liam said. “We just need to keep a special on him. If any of you see anything weird tell me so we can help Ni. Now let’s go back to practice before Niall and Paul notices we are gone”. 

And with that the boys set out to find out what was wrong with their boyfriend. 

To be continued…..


	16. Sleepless Nights Part 2 (Niall Centric)

Niall failed epicly at practice. He was so drowsy and sleepy, he missed pretty much all his cues. Paul thought the blonde was doing this on purpose and started to get frustrated. “Niall get your shit together or else” he threatened. Sadly Niall didn’t get any better as practice went on. 

After practice Paul stopped Niall and said “Until you get a better attitude I am cutting you off from the lads. You can’t ride over with them or eat with them. If you continue to act out of line I will take away your Skype and it will be one on one practice with me. Understood”. Paul might be taking it far but he was getting frustrated. He had modest up his ass about keeping the lads relationship a secret. Today just wasn’t the day to get on Paul’s nerves.

Niall nodded his head sheepishly, his cheeks burning red from embarrassment. Paul knew if the other lads were here to hear him speak this way to Niall, he would probably receive several punches in the face, mostly from Louis and Zayn. Harry would most likely yell puns at Paul and Liam would attempt to keep the peace and console Niall.

Footsteps were coming down the hallway and Niall knew it was his boyfriends. Niall tried to escape, he knew the lads would confront him about how weird he was acting today. He watched Harry emerge and grab Niall’s arm. “Niall what is wrong?”

The blonde shrugged Harry off and replied “Nothing. Stop worrying about me so much, I am fine”.

“Yea you are so fine. You missed pretty much all of your cues today” Louis sassed back.

“Why didn't you go to sleep when I told you too?” Zayn asked.

Niall rolled his eyes clearly getting annoyed. First Paul was on his case and now his boyfriends. “You aren’t my mom Zayn. I can go to bed whenever the fuck I want”.

“I’m sorry I wanted to help. Next time I won’t” Zayn shot back.

“Good, because I never asked for your help in the first place” Niall yelled, as he walked away. Niall knew he would never talk to the lads this way normally, but he was very grumpy from lack of sleep. 

“Niall get back here. We aren’t done talking with you” Liam ordered.

“Well I am done” Niall said, slamming the door to his dressing room shut. 

Liam punched the wall in frustration. “I hate it when he gets like that. Why won’t he just tell us what’s wrong”.

“Because nothing is. Niall is being a little brat and I am so tired of it. He doesn't need to worry anymore because I am done trying to help him” Zayn confessed, storming out of the hallway. 

“Shit” Liam said “Zayn wait”. Liam chased after the boy trying to talk some sense into him. That just left Harry and Louis. 

Harry paced the hallway. “Something is definitely wrong with him”, Harry declared breaking the silence. 

“I know” Louis agreed “But what”. Both boys speculated different diseases Niall could have, with the help of google. Each disease didn’t give any answers but it managed to freak the two boys out. 

“What if Niall is pregnant” Harry speculated. “I mean he is grumpy and not being himself”.

“Harry did you have learn about the birds and the bees? Last time I checked boys can’t have babies. And I am pretty sure Niall is a boy” Louis informed mentally slapping himself in the face because of Harry’s stupid question. 

“I guess you’re right” Harry agreed. Both boys read other diseases until Liam appeared. 

Liam came back down the hallway, but with no Zayn. “What happened” Louis asked.

“Zayn is pretty pissed. He just needs some time to cool down” Liam reported. “Anyway it is time to head back to the hotel, so come on Harry. Maybe you can help me talk some sense into Zayn”.

Harry nodded his head and joined Liam. They both left the hallway, leaving Louis and Niall who was still in his dressing room.

“Ni” Louis cooed softly, knocking on the door. “It is time to go”.

“Just leave Louis, I am not allowed to ride with you anymore” Niall replied sadly, still not opening up the door.

“Why not”

“Paul wants to punish me for not doing well at practice today”

“That bastard. I’ll be right back”

“Stop, I don’t need you to fight my own battles for me. Besides I deserve it”

“No you don’t. Now if you excuse me, I must talk to our manager”

Niall tried to stop Louis, but his boyfriend didn’t listen. Silence filled the hallway, and Niall knew he was truly alone. The boy felt his eyelids begin to drop. Trying to fight sleep, Niall failed and was soon asleep. But he wasn’t really asleep. Niall was caught in a halfway state.

It was the strangest feeling Niall ever experienced. He couldn’t move and speak. Niall kept trying to scream, to roll off the couch, but he couldn’t. On the inside, he was having a panic attack, on the outside he appeared to be peaceful. 

Finally the feeling passed, making Niall become fully awake. He hugged himself and rocked back and forth. Niall really wanted one of his boyfriends to comfort him, but no one was there. 

Hearing a knock on the door, Niall ran over to open it, hoping it was Louis. Instead, Niall came face to face with Paul. The manager grabbed Niall’s arm and dragged him to the car. “I expect you to give tomorrow’s practice your all” Paul declared, shutting the car door in Niall’s face. 

Niall wondered what happened with Louis, but he figured the boy just went back to the hotel. Maybe Louis gave up on trying to get Niall to ride back with him or maybe Louis had stopped loving Niall? The blonde had been a real jerk to the boys. Were they going to break up with Niall? The boy sat in the backseat of the car haunted by these thoughts eventually making himself cry. 

Back in his hotel room Niall sat on the bed, staring at his dinner. He didn’t feel like eating anything. None of the boys had Skyped him, and Niall knew it was because of how he acted today. Throwing away his food, the blonde decided to take a bath. 

The warm water helped Niall to take his mind off of his current situation. He felt relaxed and safe in the tub. Niall fell asleep in the halfway point once again, losing all control of his muscles. As he sat in the tub, he saw shadows moving outside his door. The door handle was twisting open and all Niall wanted to do was scream. His mouth though, was not working, making the blonde feel completely helpless. Niall tried to move his arms, but nothing worked. 

The door began creaking open and Niall saw a masked man. He screamed inside his head, but no matter what he did the figure got closer. Niall was terrified. A hand stretched out, going near the boy’s arm. Just as it was about to touch his arm, Niall woke up.

The figure disappeared, leaving Niall alone in the bathroom shaking. It felt so real. Niall really thought he was going to die. The water was no longer warm, making the blonde decide to get out. Now he definitely wasn’t going to sleep tonight. Niall was scared to experience the feeling of helplessness, the banging noise and now he had to add having hallucinations and not being able to control his muscles to the list.

He needed to figure out what he was going to do for the next couple of hours to keep himself awake. Niall turned on the air conditioning low to keep the room cold. Being cold kept the body more awake. He put on loud music and never stayed in the same position for more than 10 minutes. 

Niall put on a horror movie to keep him interested in the TV. The movie scared Niall to death, but it helped to keep him awake. Next thing he knew, Niall saw the sun begin to raise marking another night Niall pulled an all nighter. 

Feeling completely exhausted, Niall pushed himself to look into the mirror. The reflection looking back at Niall was a complete stranger. The mirror showed a pale boy, whose eyes were bloodshot and had more bags under the eyes than a person could count. His hair stuck up in a thousand different directions. Niall looked unhealthy and had lost a good amount of weight. Staying up all night was definitely not healthy for the boy.

He checked the clock and saw it was almost time for practice. Niall went downstairs and grabbed several cups of coffee. Downing about 3 cups, Niall realized he needed more. The local store had 5 hour energy and monsters. Niall bought some of both and proceed to mix them together on the way to practice. 

“Are you sure that is healthy, kid” the driver asked, seeing Niall pour the 5 hour energy drink into a monster. Niall shrugged and took a sip of the drink. The taste made him gag, but he swallowed it. Niall needed to be awake for practice if he wanted to stay on Paul's good side. The driver shook his head at the blonde. He really didn’t get paid enough for this. 

Pulling up to practice, Niall saw he was the last to arrive. Groaning he put his hood up and walked straight past the lads. He just wanted to get practice over with before the drink wore off. 

He felt a hand of his shoulder and Niall tried to walk it off. The grip was strong though, and next he knew his hood was off, revealing just how tired he looked. Niall heard some gasps and turned to face who was touching him. “Louis let me go please”.

“Niall what is wrong with you? Why are you doing this to yourself?” Louis asked, concern filling his voice. “Please let us help you”.

“Nothing is wrong. Just leave me alone” Niall exclaimed, pushing Louis off of him. 

“Niall wait” Louis screamed, but it was too late the blonde had already entered the building. “Now do you see why I am worried” Louis said, turning back to the other lads. 

“What do you think is wrong with him” Harry mumbled. He was really scared for his boyfriend.

Liam thought about it for a couple seconds and responded “I don’t think he is sleeping. I am trying to figure out why though. Why isn’t Niall sleeping?”

“I think he is scared too” Louis reported. “A couple of days ago, he told me he was scared to sleep. I wasn’t sure what he meant and thought he was being silly.”

“I was such an ass to him yesterday. Shit. I need to go apologize to him” Zayn sighed. 

“I am going to go talk to Paul” Liam said, prompting Louis to go with him. Harry went with Zayn to go find Niall. The lads didn’t think it was a good idea to let him be alone.

Harry and Zayn checked Niall’s dressing room and didn’t find him there. They ran down the hallways yelling Niall’s name, but had no luck finding him. “Paul is going to be so pissed when he sees how late we are” Harry speculated.

“Does it look like I give a fuck. Niall is more important” Zayn replied. 

Harry spotted a monster can rolling down one of the hallways and pointed towards it. The two boys found Niall laying on the ground, his eyes glazed over. Zayn waved his hand in front of Niall’s eyes and saw he was unresponsive.

“What is happening” Harry cried, not being able to control his tears. Zayn ignored Harry and turned his full attention to Niall. The blonde was still breathing, which gave Zayn some relief. 

“Harry go get the others now” Zayn yelled, not turning his eyes away from his boyfriend. As Harry left, Niall began to move again. His eyes started to blink and not give off the look of being glazed. 

Niall’s eyes were full of panic and fear. Whatever happened, Zayn knew had happened before. “Looks like the monster didn’t work” the blonde sighed. 

“Ni are you okay?” Zayn asked, helping the blonde sit up.

“I don’t know anymore. I am so scared Zayn” Niall confessed.

“Tell me what is wrong. Please let me help you”

“It is stupid. Besides there is nothing you can do” Niall sighed.

Meanwhile, Liam and Louis had tracked down Paul. “10 minutes late boys, that is definitely not the way to start practice” the manager said rudely.

“Shut the hell up Paul. Something is wrong with Niall. He isn’t sleeping anymore” Louis yelled.

“He is just doing it to get attention” Paul responded.

“How can you be so blind. Something is clearly wrong and we need to help him” Liam responded.

Paul thought for a moment before saying “You guys are doing this on purpose. You want me to put you back in the same hotel. Well I’m not falling for your tricks”. 

“You are wrong about this Paul. I am begging you just let Louis stay with Niall” Liam pleaded. 

Before Paul could reply, Harry burst into the room and cried “Niall is unresponsive on the ground by the water fountain”. Liam, Louis, and Paul got up and followed Harry. Each step Louis took filled him with panic. 

When they arrived at the scene, Paul finally got a really good look at Niall. He began to realize something was truly wrong with the boy. Niall was sitting up and looking ashamed. 

Paul sat down in front of the blonde and asked in a nice tone “What is wrong Ni?”

“Nothing” he replied, not looking up.

“Then why aren’t you sleeping” Paul shot back.

Niall shrugged “Because I don’t want too”.

“Why”

“I don’t want to talk about it”

Everyone signed sadly at Niall’s response. “Well when you are ready you can tell us” Paul declared. “Liam and Louis can you please come with me”.

Louis hated that he had to tear himself away from Niall. “Watch over him” he whispered to Zayn. 

Zayn gently grabbed Niall’s hand and helped the boy up. Niall was unsteady on his feet and nearly fell back down. Luckily Harry caught the blonde. Harry picked up Niall with ease and realized he lost weight.

Harry could always pick up Niall easily, but this time it was too easy. The blonde was carried into the lounge room and laid on the couch. Zayn grabbed a wet paper towel and put it across Niall’s forehead. 

“Sit me up I don’t want to go to sleep” Niall whimpered. Harry felt his heart break seeing his boyfriend act like this. 

“Shhh baby” Zayn cooed sitting down next to Niall. The boy began to hum a song and Zayn saw Niall’s eyes begin to droop.

“Please stop” Niall begged. 

Zayn replied “You need to rest babe”. Niall’s eyes filled with tears at the mere mention of sleep. 

Just then Paul and the others entered the room accompanied by a nurse. Paul ordered for everyone to clear the room except for the nurse and himself. 

“How was he” Liam asked, breaking the silence.

“Petrified” Harry replied. “He started to cry when we tried to make him sleep”.

“I am going to kill whoever made him like this” Zayn declared, his hand forming a fist. 

“Do you think he is having nightmares” Louis speculated.

“Not sure” Liam responded.

“I feel like a horrible boyfriend. How could I not see how bad Niall was getting” Harry confessed, letting a couple tears run down his face.

Liam wiped away the tears and pulled in Harry for a hug. “Whatever is wrong with him, we are going to be there for Niall. He needs us now more than ever. We need to just let Niall know we are here for him. I don’t think it helped when we tried to force him to get us what was wrong”

“Yea Niall doesn’t respond well when he has to tell someone he isn’t feeling well” Louis agreed. “Why does he have to make everything so hard. If only he told us what was bugging him in the first place this all could have been avoided”.

“That is Niall for you” Zayn joked. All the boys laughed, feeling slight relief. It was short lived, though when the lads heard screaming coming from Niall. 

“What is going on” Harry asked, new tears forming in his eyes.

“Stay outside boys” Paul yelled, his voice sounding slightly strained.

“Help me. HELP ME. Get away from me” Niall screeched, giving one final yell before his voice was cut off. Silence filled the room, making each of the lads hearts race. Liam threw open the door to see what the fuss was about. 

The door to the room opened and revealed a sleeping Niall. Harry watched the nurse put away a needle that was clearly used on Niall. “What the hell is going on” Louis shrieked, running over to a limp Niall.

“Louis please calm down” Paul begged “Let the nurse explain”. All eyes turned to the nurse. She sighed annoyingly as she put down her bag.

“I sedated, your bandmate” the nurse declared.

“I can see that” Zayn sassed. “Tell us why”.

“Niall has gone way too long without sleep. It is not healthy for anyone to go that long without sleep. He wouldn’t tell me why, but I believe Niall might be suffering from some sort of sleep problem like exploding head syndrome or hypnagogic jerks. But again, I am not sure.”

“What are those” Liam questioned, he needed to know exactly what was wrong with his boyfriend. 

“Hypnagogic jerks are when a person asleep experiences a falling sensation when they are asleep. It can freak the person out, but doesn’t cause any real harm. The exploding head syndrome is when the sleeper experiences a loud bang inside their head. It feels as though something has smacked their head, but once they wake up there's no pain. Exploding head syndrome can lead to sleep paralysis sometimes which is when the person is stuck halfway between being asleep and awake and can’t move. They are fully aware of their surroundings, but they can’t move or do anything. Usually the person sees hallucinations when they have sleep paralysis” the nurse reported.

“Well can you cure it” Harry asked.

“No, there is no cure. It usually just goes away with time. Was there any big change in Niall’s life? When did he start losing sleep? Sometimes the cure is just fixing a big change”

None of the lads knew the answer and gave blank stares at the nurse. “Well if you figure out anything, let me know. I don’t think Niall should be alone at least for tonight. Someone needs to make sure he sleeps”.

Louis volunteered to stay with Niall and much to his surprise Paul didn’t try and stop it. The nurse said goodbye to everyone and wished them luck. Zayn carried Niall to the car, with the others hot on his heels.

“Louis you better keep a good eye on him tonight” Zayn nagged.

“Yea make sure he eats and drinks lots of water” Harry added.

“Make him go to bed around 10, so he can get enough sleep” Liam ordered.

Louis rolled his eyes. “Guys I am 22 years old. I think I can handle it. Please stop nagging me”.

“Fine but I want updates every hour” Liam said.

“Okay whatever” Louis agreed.

Zayn placed Niall down, gently in the backseat. He kissed the boy on the forehead, silently praying for his boyfriend to get better. Liam held Harry close to his chest consoling the boy. “Watch over him Lou. I am serious” Liam said, in a very serious tone that kinda scared Louis.

“He won’t leave my sight” Louis promised, climbing into the car. 

The car ride was silent. Louis stared at Niall the whole time, making sure his baby was comfy and happy. Everything was going great, until Niall’s face scrunched up and his eyes shot open. His blue eyes were filled with panic, as he sat up clutching his head. 

Louis jumped back slightly frightened by Niall’s outburst. The blond held his head, covering his ears. Slowly he put his hands down and met Louis’s eyes. “What happened” Louis asked.

Niall sighed, he couldn’t lie, could he? “Sometimes when I am asleep, I hear a loud bang in my head. It is kinda like someone is setting off a bomb in my mind. I feel pain in my mind, but the second I wake up it goes away. And it would take me a while to fall back asleep, so I just gave up on going back to sleep” Niall confessed.

“How long has this been happening”

“Since last week”

“Ni why did you wait so long to tell me?”

“I didn’t want to be a bother”

Louis stared at his boyfriend sadly. “You are never a bother Ni. I love you and so do the others. You need to tell us when you aren’t feeling well, so we can help. Please Ni” Louis begged.

Niall felt very guilty when he heard Louis. “I’m sorry. Next time I will say something” Niall promised, leaning against Louis.

“Good and don’t worry Ni, we will fix you. You will be sleeping fine in a couple days”

“Whatever you say Lou” Niall responded. 

The car arrived at the hotel and Louis helped Niall out of the car, since he was still woozy from the sedative. “Are you going to stay with me tonight?” Niall whimpered, his voice slightly cracking.

“Niall I promise I will never leave you” Louis promised, grabbing his boyfriend’s hand. Niall seemed content with the answer and his body released some tension. 

Louis led Niall up to his room and put the boy on the couch. “I’ll order us some dinner babe. What do you want?”

Niall looked down at his stomach and realized how hungry he actually was. It had been a couple of days since he had a proper meal. “Get me everything on the menu”.

Louis rolled his eyes and chuckled quietly to himself. “Go take a shower, by the time you get out your food will be here. Then we are skyping the lads because they have been texting me nonstop asking about you”. Niall nodded his head and went into the bathroom.

It took Niall all his energy and concentration to stay awake in the shower. He was super tired and the sedative was still in his system. It also didn’t help that Niall hadn’t gotten a proper amount of sleep in days. Niall felt his eyes begin to droop shut. He had lost his battle against sleep and then everything went black. 

Louis was in the middle of a phone call with Liam, when he heard a loud thump in the bathroom. “Niall” Louis screamed, throwing down his phone.

Meanwhile Liam was having a heart attack on the line yelling “Louis what is happening. Should I come over. Shit. Louis answer me”. 

The bathroom door swung open and Louis saw the blonde on the shower floor, having the water hit his face. Louis picked up a soaking wet Niall and carried him to the couch not caring how wet he got. He placed a towel on his boyfriend, so his privates weren’t free for the world to see. Turning off the water, Louis sat down next to Niall and stared at him sadly. He began to dry off the boy.

Niall appeared to be fine. There was a tiny bump on his head, but nothing serious. It wasn’t bleeding so Louis wasn’t really concerned. 

After a couple minutes Niall’s eyes fluttered open and his face showed pain. “Did you hear the bang sound?” Niall nodded his head slowly, his eyes threatening to leak tears. “I’m so sorry Ni” Louis cooed, holding his arms open for Niall.

The blonde fell into Louis’s arms and both boys embraced each other. A knock on the door broke the hug, as Louis got up to answer it. Before he opened the door, Louis turned to Niall and said “I would get clothes on if I were you”. 

Niall’s cheeks flushed red from embarrassment, as he scurried to his room. Louis smirked to himself, hearing Niall’s dresser being thrown open in the room. Opening the hotel door, Louis saw his and Niall’s food was ready. Louis paid the employee and took the dinner inside their room. His stomach grumbled, when he smelled the food.

Niall emerged from the bedroom wearing plaid pj pants and a loose fitting black shirt. Dinner was quiet since Niall was stuffing his face with food. He acted like he hadn’t eaten in days. 

Just as the two boys finished dinner, the front door swung open and Liam, Zayn, and Harry bolted in. “What the hell are you guys doing here” Louis asked. The three lads had almost given Louis a heart attack.

Liam ignored Louis and went straight to Niall. “Are you okay babe?” Liam questioned, cupping the blonde’s face with his hands. 

“Of course he is fine. Why wouldn’t he be” Louis sassed.

“Oh I don’t know. Did you forget the phone call Louis. Right in the middle of our conversation we heard a thump and then you screamed Niall. Does that ring any bells” Liam shot back.

Louis hung his head in shame and confessed “I kinda forgot about that, sorry”.

“It’s fine” Liam said. “I just got really worried”.

Harry and Zayn sat down next to Niall. Harry cuddled against Niall, while Zayn laughed at Louis and Liam. “We are a hot mess, when we are apart” Zayn commented.

“You guys can’t be here” Niall declared, afraid they would get in trouble with Paul. 

Harry sat up and said “Niall I much rather be here with you”.

“Yea, besides does it look like we care if we get in trouble with Paul” Zayn asked.

Niall smiled a bright smile when he realized he wouldn’t be alone. Harry gave Niall a quick kiss when he saw how happy his boyfriend was. 

“Shall we watch a movie before going to bed” Louis offered, taking the remote and going through the movie titles on OnDemand. “Yell when you see something you like”.

The lads read the screen intently waiting for a title to catch their eye. “That one” Harry exclaimed, jumping up from the couch.

“Really Harry” Louis sighed. “You always pick the same type of movie, Besides we have already seen this one like 5 times”.

“I am fine with watching Pitch Perfect again” Liam added. “What about you Niall”.

“You don’t need to ask me twice. And I wanted to watch the movie again before I saw the sequel”.

“Well what Niall says is final” Zayn agreed. “Put on the movie Lou”.

“Fine” Louis huffed, pressing the enter button to buy the movie.

Once the movie started all the lads sang along, Louis of course, singing the loudest, even though he didn’t want to watch Pitch Perfect. Harry even attempted the cups song, but failed miserably at it. 

When the movie finished Liam ordered everyone to go to sleep. Niall hesitated climbing into bed. “Li, I’m scared” Niall whimpered.

“Don’t be. We are all here. Nothing bad will happen” Liam reassured, kissing Niall on the forehead.

Harry gently took Niall’s hand and led him to the bed. “I will stay up with you until you fall asleep”. 

Niall sighed sadly and climbed into bed. Harry hummed the Cups song, as he laid down next to Louis. He lightly tapped the beat of the song on Louis's chest, much to Louis's annoyance. "Harry I swear if you continue singing cups I will end you" Louis threatened.

"Fine I'll stop" Harry said.

"You're going to miss me when I'm gone" Zayn sang, just to annoy Louis more. All the boys started to crack up after Zayn sang. They sat there for minutes just enjoying being with each other.

Liam smiled, happy just being with his boyfriends. "I missed this" he declared. 

All the others agreed and snuggled against each other. Niall slept in the center of the boys with Liam and Harry on either side of him. Zayn slept next to Liam while Louis was next to Harry. 

Niall tried to fight sleep, but it was a struggle. Liam noticed the blonde and took his hand. "It will be alright. Just sleep. We are here for you" Liam reassured. 

Finally after a couple minutes, Niall closed his eyes and let sleep take him. Surprisingly, he never woke up once that night. That was the best sleep Niall had gotten in days. 

Liam woke up first and sat in bed watching his boyfriends sleep peacefully. Smiling to himself, he realized he wouldn't let Paul separate him and the lads again. Zayn woke up next and kissed Liam on the cheek. "Good morning" Zayn whispered. "Shall I order breakfast for everyone".

Liam nodded his head yes and responded "Just wait a couple seconds. I want Niall to sleep as long as he can". Zayn agreed and laid against Liam for a little bit longer. Everytime the two boys heard Niall snore, they were filled with relief. "Liam we have to get up. Practice is in two hours" Zayn mumbled. 

"Alright I'll wake them up. You go order breakfast" Liam agreed, as he sat up yawning. Zayn left the room, while Liam walked over to Harry and Louis. 

"Wake up" Liam said, shaking Louis. The boy's eyes opened and looked straight into Liam's eyes. "Don't make a fuss. I want to let Niall sleep a little longer". Louis nodded his head silently and slowly sat up nudging Harry.

Harry sighed and scooted away from Louis. "Get up Harry. We need to get ready for practice" Liam cooed. 

"5 more minutes" Harry moaned, hiding his head under his pillow. 

"Can't we let him and Niall sleep a little longer" Louis asked. Liam shook his head yes and replied "We will wake them up in another 20 minutes, when the food arrives. Hopefully they can get ready for practice quickly".

“Please it takes Niall 5 minutes to get ready. Zayn is the one who takes forever. He spends just a half an hour staring at himself in the mirror” Louis replied.

“Hey I heard that” Zayn yelled from the other room. Liam and Louis left the bedroom to join Zayn.

Liam, Zayn, and Louis sat on the couch and began planning what to say to Paul. "There is no way in hell I am letting him split us up again" Louis declared.

"Same and if he tries I will pay him a visit that he won’t like or forget" Zayn threatened closing his hand into a fist.

“You sound like a hitman Zayn” Louis joked. 

"So let's call him, then" Liam said, pulling out his phone completely ignoring Louis’s comment. He typed in the numbers and put the call on speaker.

After a couple rings, the three lads heard Paul answer the phone. "Paul we need to talk" Louis said, his tone getting dark and angry. 

"Can we meet up? I'd rather not do it over the phone" Paul asked.

"Yea, can we meet this morning down in the lobby?" Liam replied.

"But what about practice won't we be late" Zayn questioned.

"It's fine, we can start practice later. I will meet you in the lobby in 5 minutes. Lucky for you lads, I decided to stay in this hotel last night." Paul replied, hanging up the phone.

Harry appeared out of the bedroom yawning. He saw the three lads leaving and asked "Where are you going?" 

"We are having a meeting with Paul" Zayn replied.

"I'm coming" Harry declared, slipping on a pair of shoes. All four lads left the room and headed down to the lobby. 

They saw their manager sitting on one of the couches. Harry took a deep breath before confronting Paul. "We want to stay in the same hotel in the same room" Liam declared, sitting down in front of the manager. Zayn and Louis stood on either side of Liam, their faces saying they weren't taking no for an answer. Zayn crossed his arms almost daring for Paul to say something negative.

Paul looked around at each boy. Harry tried to be intimidating, but it wasn't really working. He was standing awkwardly next to Louis trying to match his face. Harry though, just looked like a confused puppy. "If I let you stay in the same room, will you promise to be mature about it. Like I will be trusting you to keep your relationship a secret" Paul asked.

"We promise to be mature, as long as you don't try to separate us or get in the way of our relationship" Louis negotiated.

"Looks like we have a deal then. I will have your stuff moved to this hotel by tonight. Don't make me regret this decision boys" Paul said, before getting off the couch. 

Harry felt like he could scream in happiness. He hugged Louis and began jumping with him. Harry attempted to kiss Louis but then realized he was in public. "Way to go Harry. You almost broke our deal and it hasn't even been a minute" Louis sassed.

"Sorry" Harry muttered, his face instantly becoming red. 

"I can't wait to tell Niall that we are allowed to stay with him" Zayn said, buzzing with excitement. "Did anyone leave a note to tell Niall where we were going in case he woke up?"

Zayn's answers were blank stares. "Oh shit. What if he woke up and saw we weren't there?" Zayn yelled. Liam felt his heart rate quicken as they pushed the elevator button.

The lads waited impatiently as the elevator came down to the lobby. They ran inside once the doors dinged open. Louis thought repeatedly hitting the floor number would get them there faster. "Lou calm down, pressing the button is not helping" Zayn cooed, taking Louis's hand in his.

When the doors opened to the floor, the lads raced out. Harry took the lead, his long legs carrying him farther. Louis was in the back trying to keep up, but his tiny legs were no match to Harry's. 

Harry reached Niall's room and quickly unlocked the door. Zayn came in right behind Harry, catching up to the boy, as he paused to open the door. Liam and Louis entered next and walked around in the dark room.

Zayn went straight to Niall's room and saw he wasn't there. "He isn't in here" Zayn yelled, panic filling his voice.

"Niall where are you" Harry screamed, running around the hotel room. Once every room and closet was checked twice, the lads determined Niall was no longer in the hotel room. 

The four lads ran down the hallway of the hotel having no idea where to go. "Where should we look" Harry asked, slightly out of breath. 

"I'll check the lobby" Louis declared, getting inside the elevator. Liam got in next to Louis to check the pool and gym area. Zayn went to check the parking garbage to see if Niall had left to go to practice. Harry was left standing in front of the elevator, debating on where to check.

Suddenly, Harry was hit with bright idea. He knew where Niall was. Waiting for the elevator would take too long, so Harry took the stairs. Once on the bottom floor, Harry went towards the food court and found his boyfriend sitting alone at a table with 3 plates of food.

Smiling to himself, Harry sat down next to Niall. "Hey" Niall said, looking at Harry. He shoved a giant piece of pancake in his mouth. "How did your talk with Paul go?"

"How did you know about the talk with Paul" Harry asked.

"Well you guys weren't exactly quiet this morning. I got up, when you rolled out of bed. When I came out of the room, you lads were already gone. I tried waiting for you to get back, but I got hungry"

"And here we thought you were freaking out crying somewhere. You really gave me and the lads a fright. As we speak, they are running around the hotel looking for you"

"Why"

"Because you weren't in the room"

"I left a note"

"Well we didn't find it'

"Did you try calling my cell phone" Niall asked, giving Harry a smirk.

"No" Harry mumbled.

"I swear you guys are idiots sometimes. Can you please call the others, while I finish breakfast"

Harry pulled out his phone and dialed Liam's number. "Hey Li, so I found Niall".

"Oh thank god" Liam exclaimed "Where is he? Is he crying? How upset is he that we left him?"

"Umm you can ask him yourself. Just get to the food court and tell the others" Harry replied, before ending the call. 

Niall and Harry sat there waiting for the lads, so Niall continued to eat his breakfast. He was on the second plate of food, when the two boys saw Liam, Zayn, and Louis enter the food court. The three lads came running over to Niall, each apologizing.

"I am so sorry that we left you" Liam cried.

"We didn't mean to leave you" Louis declared.

"Sorry if we caused you to cry or freak out, but know we are here for you and will never leave you again" Zayn promised. 

Niall looked at his worried boyfriends and began cracking up. He laughed so hard he had tears rolling down his face. Liam, Zayn, and Louis looked confused, while Harry joined in with the laughter. "I don't get it. What is so funny" Zayn asked.

"Guys I am fine. I didn't freak out or anything. I heard you this morning. I just got bored of waiting for you and went downstairs to get breakfast" Niall retold, watching his boyfriends faces go from apologetic to embarrassed. "Now do you want to join me for breakfast or are you going to keep apologizing?"

"I ordered room service for us" Zayn said. "But I guess they gave up, when they saw none of us were in the room". 

The four boys each grabbed a plate and got into the buffet line. Each lad would throw the occasional glance at Niall just to make sure he was still there and happy.

Later that day Liam called the doctor and told her how Niall had gotten a full night's sleep. She told him Niall probably started having sleeping problems when the guys were forced to stay in separate hotels. Sometimes the cure to exploding head syndrome is just to not be alone. The doctor said he might experience the loud bangs or the feeling of falling, but it wouldn't be regular. But unlike the other times, Niall wouldn't experience these problems alone. Now he had the support and love of his boyfriends to help him get through it.

The End :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys should totally check out my Dr. Horrible: One Direction story. Also I hoped you enjoyed the story


	17. Tonsillectomy Gone Wrong (Niall Centric)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> could you do one where niall has to get tonsils out, and has a hard recovery? Like he gets really sick to his stomach and his throat like REALLY hurts? 
> 
> I might have changed the prompt a little. Also sorry for taking so long to update. Life has been busy. I went to Prom and graduated high school. So yea but I hope to do weekly updates.

“You’re being a baby Niall” Louis groaned, banging on the bedroom door. “Open up right now or I will break the door down”.

Liam shook his head, slightly rolling his eyes. Louis was definitely not helping the situation. “Ni”, Liam cooed “Please open the door. I know you are scared, but we want to help”.

“No” Niall screamed through the bedroom. His voice sounded distant indicating, he was probably hiding under the covers on the bed. The lads heard a sniffle come from the room and knew the blonde was crying. 

“My turn” Zayn declared, stepping forward, giving off a cocky smile. Louis scoffed as he stepped aside. Louis secretly hoped Zayn would fail in getting Niall to open up the door. “Babe it is just tonsil surgery. It is nothing to get scared about”.

“You’re only saying that because it isn’t your throat getting operated on” Niall replied, burrowing himself deeper in the bed. 

“So are you saying that you want to live the rest of your life with a sore throat and bad breath” Harry asked, his voice carrying sarcasm.

“Maybe” Niall croaked, his voice coming out scratchy due to his inflamed tonsils. Harry chuckled to himself at the blonde’s response. “Go away” he begged. “I want to be alone”.

“Yea, not going to happen Ni” Louis responded, sass seeping into his voice. “We know you're scared, but you have to get the surgery”. 

“Why” Niall cried. The boys heard the bed creak slightly and they knew they were convincing Niall.

Zayn grinned and said “Open the door and we will tell you why”.

“Why” Niall asked once more.

“Because we are your boyfriends and want to help you” Zayn replied, looking Louis dead in the eyes. 

Much to Louis’s annoyance, the bedroom door opened, revealing a puffy eyed Niall. He had a blanket draped over his shoulder and looked visibly frightened. Harry quickly wrapped his arms around Niall and pulled his boyfriend in for a hug. 

The four boys cuddled with Niall, as they reassured him about the surgery. “Nothing will go wrong” Liam promised, kissing Niall on the forehead.

“We will be with you the whole time” Harry added, squeezing the blonde’s shoulder. 

Zayn cupped Niall’s head and said “And imagine you would be able to eat food without crying about your throat”. Niall nodded his head, clearly liking what Zayn was saying.

“You could kiss us all the time, since you won’t have bad breath and such a sore throat” Louis informed, making his eyebrows go up and down. Niall giggled, but soon stopped when his throat screamed out in pain. 

“Fine I’ll get the dumb surgery” Niall agreed, finally giving into his boyfriends’ pleas. He could never say no to them. Niall also couldn’t imagine going another day with all this throat pain. 

Liam pulled out his phone and said “I’ll call the doctor and make the appointment. The sooner the surgery the better”. Liam left the room, already talking to the doctor.

Niall gulped and buried his head in Zayn’s chest. Zayn stroked the blonde’s hair and whispered soothing words to him. 

Liam strolled back into the room, looking very proud of himself. “I pulled some strings and was able to get Niall an appointment tomorrow for the surgery”.

“Tomorrow” Niall gasped. He was not ready for this. He was hoping for at least a week so he could mentally prepare himself. Now he only had a couple hours to get his mind and body ready for the operation. “I can’t do this” he exclaimed, jumping back under the covers. 

“Yes you can” Louis disagreed. “You are brave and the operation will go fine”. Niall still wasn’t budging. “What if I bought you Nandos for a week straight” Louis offered. There was still no movement so the boy added “How about a month”.

The second the words left Louis’s mouth, Niall emerged from under the blanket with a slight smirk on his face. “Only because you offered” Niall sassed, blinking his eyes innocently.

“Shit” Louis muttered, scratching the back of his head. Now he and the boys were going to have to endure Nando's for a month. They loved the food there, but Louis knew he was going to get tired of the restaurant after a couple days.. 

“How about we go out and get tons of ice cream tonight, since that will be the only thing Niall can pretty much eat after getting his tonsils out” Zayn suggested, getting out his car keys. Zayn really just wanted to take Niall out and help him take his mind off of the operation. Niall hopped out of bed at the thought of getting ice cream. Harry laughed and followed Niall out of the room. Louis, Zayn, and Liam chased after the two younger lads. 

Once they were in the car, One Direction drove to the grocery store. Niall made his boyfriends buy him 3 cartons of mint chocolate chip, 1 cookies and cream, strawberry, and many other flavors that Liam had lost count. When the bill went past a hundred dollars, Liam stopped looking at the grocery cart. 

“Niall stop eating all the ice cream you won’t have any left by the time of the operation” Zayn nagged, seeing his boyfriend open his second container of mint chocolate chip. Harry quickly snatched the ice cream and closed the lid. 

Niall groaned and leaned against the backseat. He crossed his arms and exclaimed, “Excuse me, but who is the one having surgery”.

“You will get to have us baby you for like 10 days after the operation, so right now we don’t have to listen to you” Louis sassed, from the front seat.

“You suck” Niall hissed. When the lads arrived home, they decided to call it a night since Niall’s appointment was at 10 in the morning.

In bed, Niall dreamed of all that could go wrong when getting his tonsils removed. He imagined the doctor dropping the instrument down his throat and the doctor accidentally missing his tonsils and cutting a hole in his throat. The nightmares haunted the blonde all through the night. He woke up several times, covered in sweat and crying. 

Each time Niall woke up, he would be soothed back to sleep by his boyfriends. Harry, Louis, and Liam happened to be very light sleepers. Whenever Niall woke up, they were ready to comfort him. Harry would wake up Zayn much to the boy’s annoyance. 

Niall woke up again for the fifth time that night. This time his nightmare was about a fire starting in the office and the doctor leaving Niall to burn alive. Louis and Liam were already up, getting ready to console the blonde. Harry crawled over to Zayn and poked his sleeping boyfriend repeatedly in the face. 

“You better have a good reason for waking me up for the fifth time this evening” Zayn growled, as Harry shook him awake.

“Yes” Harry shot back. “We are helping Niall go back to sleep again”.

Zayn groaned, rubbing his eyes. “I guess that is a good reason.” The boy crawled over to Niall and saw he was wide awake. “How you doing babe?” Zayn asked.

“I can’t sleep. I keep imagining everything that could go wrong” Niall replied, sadly cuddling up against Zayn. The three other lads listened silently, hating that their boyfriend was so scared.

“I promise” Zayn said, putting his hand over his heart “That nothing bad will happen. Now go back to sleep”. Zayn kissed Niall on the nose and laid back down on the bed. Niall felt a little better and fell asleep on Zayn’s chest.

“Why does he always listen to Zayn” Harry whispered, trying not to wake up his sleeping boyfriends. 

Louis shrugged, clearly to tired to care. “Probably because Zayn used to view Niall as a little brother, you know before we started dating. Niall always looked up to Zayn and did whatever the boy said. Niall will always listen to Zayn” Liam answered.

Harry sighed “I wish he would do that for us”.

“He does Harry” Louis yawned “He would do anything for you. Niall loves all of us, sometimes he just needs comforting from a specific boyfriend”. Harry felt content with Louis’s answer and put his head on the pillow. The lads only had a couple more hours of sleep until the operation. 

The beeping of the alarm woke Liam up. He groaned loudly, as he hit the snooze button on the alarm. Liam sat up in the bed and stretched his arms out, yawning. He saw his boyfriends sprawled out beside him. “Lads, it’s time to get up” Liam cooed.

“Nooo 5 more minutes” Louis begged, pulling the covers over his head.

Liam shook his head no and replied “We have to get ready for Niall’s operation. 

“Fine” Louis sighed, getting up. All the movement woke up Harry. Harry shot daggers at his two boyfriends, before he realized why they were up.

“Oh shit today is surgery” Harry exclaimed, jumping up from the bed. “Get up Niall” he yelled, “We can’t be late”.

Zayn’s eyes cracked open. “Maybe yelling isn’t the best way to wake him up, Harry. I mean he is still scarred”.

“Oh yea sorry” Harry apologized, instantly sitting back down.

“Ni” Zayn whispered “It is time to get up”. Niall pushed off of Zayn and looked at his boyfriend sadly. Now that all the boys were up, it was time to get ready.

Liam dragged Niall out of bed because the boy kept hiding under the covers. Each lad tried to make their blonde boyfriend smile, but it was no use. He was not his bright, happy self that morning. He was a scared kid who just wanted to cuddle against someone for protection. 

The car ride over to the doctor’s office was dead silent. Harry swore if a pin dropped, he could hear it. Niall was breathing very fast and was beginning to shake. Harry gently grabbed his boyfriend’s knee and said “Everything will be fine”. Niall nodded his head weakly and turned his head to stare out of the window. 

Once at the doctors, Niall was taken in the back room to be given medicine that would numb him and put him to sleep. Liam kissed Niall on the cheek before he left. Louis pulled Niall in for a hug and whispered “We are all here for you. Nothing will go wrong”.

Harry waved sadly from his seat, trying to calm his own nerves. Zayn squeezed Niall’s hand and said “You are so brave. You will be done soon and then you get the lads and I babying you until you get better”. Niall gave a small smile, that didn’t reach his eyes. 

He walked through the doors getting guided by the doctors. The second he left the room, all four lads sat down in the waiting room seats. Harry bit his nails waiting for news on Niall. The constant biting sound and shaking of Harry’s knees was beginning to drive the other boys crazy. “Harry calm down” Liam said, as he observed his boyfriend.

“I can’t, what if something goes wrong. I mean they have been in there for a while” Harry speculated.

“Harry it literally has been 5 minutes” Louis said, checking the time on his phone.

“You are almost as bad as Niall” Zayn compared, pulling Harry’s hand away from his mouth. 

After waiting for a half an hour, a doctor walked into the waiting room. She called for the lads. The boys walked over to the doctor, their hearts all racing. She gave a sweet smile and reported “The surgery went great. It was successful.”

Harry felt like a weight had been lifted off of his chest. Liam hugged Louis, making Louis blush. The doctor continued “We gave him amnesia so right now he is out cold. I will prescribe some pain meds for Niall. Make sure he takes them twice a day.” The lady wrote down the medicine on a form and handed it to Zayn, because he seemed the most calm at the moment. 

“Niall will be in a lot of pain. He might not be able to talk for a couple day and if he tries don’t let him. Talking can slow the healing process. His throat is going to hurt, so give him soft foods. Please give him lots of liquids. His throat may bleed a little, so don’t freak out, it is completely normal. If it is a lot of blood, though you might want to bring him back in” the doctor said. 

“Do you guys understand” the doctor asked. Each of the boys nodded their heads yes. The lady smiled and said “Well then, Niall is free to go home. He will probably be asleep for another hour or so. I’ll go get him”.

A couple seconds later, the doctor appeared wheeling Niall out in a wheelchair. He was asleep with gauzes in his mouth to absorb the blood. Some blood, though dripped down his chin. Harry ran over to his boyfriend and checked him over, making sure his Niall was alright. When Harry’s inspection was over, he allowed Niall to get wheeled out.

Liam pushed Niall, while Louis went to pull up the car. Harry was busy wiping up the fallen blood off of the blonde’s face. The white napkin was slowly turning red. When the car pulled up, Zayn picked up Niall and laid him across the backseat. “Where are we supposed to sit” Liam asked, seeing that Niall took up the whole backseat.

“Good question. I have no idea” Zayn replied, laughing to himself “But I call shotgun”. Zayn ran to the passenger door and hopped in next to Louis. 

“I guess I’ll have to sit on Zayn’s lap” Harry said, smirking as he climbed in the car.

“Oh no” Zayn responded, in a sarcastic tone. He grabbed Harry’s waist and began kissing the boy’s neck.

Liam sighed, “I’ll sit in the trunk, then seeing as there is no room in the front seat”. Liam laid down in the trunk since it was illegal. He didn’t want Louis to get in any legal trouble. “Please don’t drive too fast” the lad requested. 

The car jerked forward and Liam groaned loudly as his head smack the side of the car. “Sorry” Louis muttered. Liam heard moans from Harry and Zayn coming from the front seat. He crossed his arms jealously and tried to block out the sounds. Liam began wishing he brought headphones. 

Arriving at their temporary home, Zayn carried the sleeping Niall inside the house. Harry followed in front of Zayn, holding the door for his boyfriend. Louis went to open the trunk, but hesitated. Did he want to mess with Liam? “Louis I swear to God, if you don’t open this trunk I will beat you up” Liam growled. 

“But you love me. Besides do you really want to mess up this pretty face” Louis sassed, beginning to open the trunk. Liam rolled his eyes, he wasn’t really in the mood for a sass off with Louis.

“Can we do this another day, I just really want to focus on Ni and what I can do to help him get better” Liam asked.

“That is all I want to do too. I was just trying to lighten the mood” Louis confessed.

“And you did a good job babe. I’m just not in the mood” Liam replied, giving Louis a small kiss on the lips. “You are too sweet Louis. That is why I love you.”

The two boys headed inside. “Zayn where are you” Louis called out, when they saw how dead and silent it was in their house.

“Upstairs” Harry yelled, appearing at the top of the steps. “We laid Niall down in bed. Zayn put a towel down on the bed, so his blood won’t stain the bed”.

“Smart thinking” Liam commented. “How long do you think he will be asleep”. Zayn shrugged.

“I’ll go out and get his medicine, so we have it when he wakes up” Louis offered, grabbing the car keys.

“I’ll go with you. I feel so useless here and I want to feel like I am helping” Harry confessed, standing next to Louis.

By the time Louis and Harry got back, Niall was starting to wake up. “I picked up some lunch for you guys” Harry said from downstairs, holding a big bag of McDonalds. Louis and Harry sat down at the kitchen table and began eating the food. 

Niall woke up in pain. Whenever he swallowed, pain filled his throat. He felt like crying. The taste of blood filled his mouth everytime he swallowed. Tears began filling Niall’s eyes, as he swallowed again.

“Hey Ni, how you feeling?” Zayn asked, as he walked in the room.

Niall was about to answer when Liam cut him off. “Zayn, remember he isn’t supposed to talk. Niall you can’t talk, it could hurt your throat even more.” Niall nodded his head, indicating he understood. 

“How much pain are you in on a scale of 1 to 10” Liam asked. Niall brought up his hands and put up 10 fingers. A couple tears fell down the blonde’s face, as he answered. 

“Aww come here Ni” Zayn said, holding his arms open. Niall into the boy’s arms and released his tears. “Go get the medicine from Louis” Zayn ordered.

Liam got off of the bed and yelled “Louis and Harry get off of your asses and bring up the medicine. Niall is awake”.

“Why didn’t you tell us. I would have come upstairs” Louis shot back, throwing down his cheeseburger. Harry shoved one more bite of salad in his mouth, before following his boyfriend. 

Liam filled a glass of water and brought it to the bedroom. “Drink this while you take the pill” Liam commanded. He wasn’t taking no for an answer. Niall sat up and took a pill from Louis and grabbed the glass of water. Sighing, the blonde pictured how painful it was going to be to swallow the medicine and the whole glass of water. 

“Just get it over with Ni” Harry suggested, seeing his boyfriend hesitating. Niall weakly nodded and put the pill in his pill. He chugged down the water, feeling the pill go down his throat. Pain filled his whole body as the rough and very large pill went by where his tonsils used to be. The water also did not help with the pain it just added on to it. 

“You did good babe” Zayn hummed, kissing Niall on the cheek. Louis patted the blonde lightly on the back, wishing he could make the pain go away. 

The medicine began to set in filling Niall with a numb feeling. The pain began to slowly fade away and Niall slowly relaxed. “Is it working” Harry asked. Niall nodded his head and gave a small smile. 

“Want something to eat” Louis asked. “I bought a bunch of soft food for you to eat”. Niall shook his head no. He really just wanted to go back to sleep. He made a sleeping motion with his hands and his boyfriends seemed to understand.

Liam refilled the glass of water and reported “The doctor says you have to stay hydrated. Drink this and I will let you go to sleep”. Niall groaned, but took the glass. He downed the water and handed the empty cup back to Liam. “Thank you”. 

Niall went to lay down in bed, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. “I need to put down a new towel” Harry said, running out of the room. The blonde rolled his eyes, waiting impatiently for his boyfriend to get back. Harry retrieved a clean towel and placed it over Niall’s pillow. Niall laid down and closed his eyes.

Liam and Zayn quickly tucked in their boyfriend. Louis kissed Niall on the cheek, wishing him a good sleep. Harry looked over the bed, making sure everything was perfect for the blonde. “You good Harry” Louis asked, seeing the boy fix Niall’s pillow for the fifth time.

“Yea everything seems to be in good order” Harry replied.

“Good, because I don’t know what we would have done without Niall’s pillow being fluffed”

“Shut up Lou” Harry groaned. Louis chuckled to himself and raced down the stairs to finish his lunch. 

By the time, Louis got downstairs, he saw Zayn and Liam already eating. “Thanks for the food” Zayn said, with a mouthful of french fries.

“No problem” Louis replied, sitting down next to Liam, grabbing his half eaten burger. 

When lunch finished Liam and Harry went upstairs to check on Niall. They saw their boyfriend peacefully sleeping. Harry walked closer to Niall and saw blood all over the towel. “Is he supposed to bleed that much” Harry asked, seeing that the part of the towel by Niall’s mouth was dark red and spreading. 

Liam came over to inspect. “I’m not sure. The doctor did say Niall would bleed”.

“Yea, but that much” Harry said pointing at Niall.

“I’ll call the doctor if he continues to bleed this bad” Liam offered.

Harry looked at Liam before saying, “Okay if you think that is what’s best”.

The four boys sat around all day not really sure what to do. Without Niall the boys couldn’t think of anything to do. The lads cannot survive without each other. It is 5 never 4. It will never be four, Zayn thought and promised himself. “Shall we put on the TV or something. As much as I love you guys, sitting around staring at each other is rather boring” Louis said, breaking the silence.

“Sure” Zayn responded. Louis grabbed the remote and went through the channels. He stopped when he saw a football match.

“No” Harry begged “Sports are so boring”.

“Fine” Louis growled “But Niall would have loved watching the match with me.” After going through all the channels twice, the lads agreed on watching the Teen Wolf marathon. Lucky for them, they caught it just as the first episode started. Sure, it was a dumb show with crappy special effects, but it had hot boys and was something to keep them occupied while they waited for Niall to get up.. 

“I would totally date Stiles. If only he was real” Harry confessed, watching the character on the TV.

“Hey” Liam said, lightly hitting Harry.

“I call Scott then” Zayn yelled.

“Well I get Derek” Louis added.

“Great who do I get. You guys took all the hot boys” Liam said. The other three boys laughed loudly. 

“What about Jackson, he is pretty hot” Louis suggested, making his eyebrows go up.

“Yea, but he is also an ass” Liam replied.

“Then you guys would be perfect for each other” Harry added. Liam shot a death glare at Harry, before jumping on top of him. He began tickling his boyfriend. “I take it back” Harry screeched, in between giggles. 

After that, whenever Derek appeared on the screen Louis would yell my baby and start to fangirl. The others soon followed each claiming more and more characters as their babies. 

“Should we wake up Niall” Zayn asked, after finishing the first season of Teen Wolf. The lads may or may not be binge watching all of the MTV show. 

“Yea he never ate today” Louis responded.

Harry jumped up exclaiming, “I’ll do it. I will wake him up”. He began bouncing in excitement. at the thought of Niall being awake.

“Harry. I swear the dumbest things excite you” Louis commented.

Harry either didn’t hear Louis or choose to ignore him, as he ran up the steps, bubbling with excitement. “Niall get up” Harry sang, shaking the boy. Niall’s eyes cracked open. “You need to have some food”.

Niall sat up and rubbed his eyes. The pain in his throat was a lot more tolerable, thanks to his medication. “Can you walk” Harry asked. Niall debated on whether he should lie. He was feeling particularly lazy. Putting on a sad face Niall shook his head no, making his lip quiver a little. “It’s okay I’ll carry you”. 

Smirking to himself, Niall felt Harry lift him up. Niall loved when he didn’t need to walk. Walking required so much energy, and right now Niall just wanted to be lazy. “So Niall I made you some soup” Harry said, setting his boyfriend down in the kitchen chair.

The soup was brought over and placed in front of Niall. After Harry made sure it was cool enough, it was given to Niall. The blonde sipped the whole thing up not realizing how hungry he was. The soup burned his throat a little, but Niall didn’t care, he wanted more. Harry gladly refilled his boyfriend’s bowl. Niall tasted a weird mixture of soup and blood. Looking down, he saw the once yellow soup was now a dark red.

Niall brought his hand up to his mouth and touched his lip. When he moved his hand down, he saw his fingers were covered in blood. His fingers were warm and sticky. Harry looked over to Niall and almost dropped his plate. “What happened” he shrieked. Niall shrugged and wiped a napkin across his mouth. “Liam get in here” Harry yelled, beginning to hassle over the blonde.

Liam muttered a couple curses, as he sat up from the couch. He didn’t want to miss any second of Teen Wolf. The show was addicting. “What’s wrong?” Liam asked, assuming Harry was over reacting.

“Do you not see that Niall is bleeding pretty bad again” Harry responded, pointing at the blonde.

“Harry it is the first day after the surgery. Calm down. The doctor said it was normal to have some bleeding” Liam said once again. “Niall do you feel fine?”

Niall nodded his head yes. Liam turned back to Harry and declared “You need to chill out. Niall is fine. Come and watch TV with us.” 

Harry hesitated leaving the kitchen. “Are you sure you are alight?” Harry questioned. Niall nodded his head yes again. He really didn’t want to be a bother and he was pretty sure a little bleeding was normal. “Okay I believe you, but the second you start to feel shitty let me know” Harry ordered. 

Niall fell asleep against Zayn. Sure he liked the TV show, but getting tonsils out were exhausting. Harry and Louis got up for dinner, after the second season finished. Zayn didn’t know what to do with Niall, who was still asleep on his chest. “Zayn lay him on the couch while we eat dinner” Louis suggested, seeing Zayn looking conflicted. 

Dinner was quiet, usually laughing from Niall filled the dinner table. Right now, though each boy ate his meal in silence, listening to their sleeping boyfriend. Niall’s breathing was beginning to sound watery. Each breath made a strange gurgling sound. “What is that” Louis asked, getting up from his chair. Louis went to check on Niall. 

The three lads heard a gasp come from the TV room. 3 chairs were quickly pushed out, as the boys ran to Louis. Harry saw Louis standing in front of Niall with a horrified expression. He feared what he was about to see.

Slowly Harry turned his head and looked at Niall. The blonde’s mouth was filled with blood. It had turned his teeth red and seemed never ending. Niall fell asleep on his back so the blood had no where to escape. It slowly built up and was now making it hard for Niall to breathe. “What do we do” Louis cried, panic filling his voice. 

“Turn him over” Zayn ordered, grabbing Niall’s side and pushing him over. Blood oozed from his mouth onto the couch. “Call the doctor now, Liam”.

Liam who was still staring at Niall was snapped out of his trance by Harry. Liam quietly backed out of the room, his head hung low in shame. Calling the doctor, Liam hoped she would have all the answers. 

Meanwhile in the TV room, the three lads had decided to wake up Niall. “Gently Harry” Zayn warned his protective instincts kicking in. 

Harry lightly tapped Niall whispering “Wake up babe”. Niall swatted Harry away and attempted to go back to sleep. 

“Niall Horan you wake up right this minute or so help me god I will not buy you Nandos” Louis threatened. Louis’s words seemed to work as Niall shot up, clearly not happy. 

Niall gave a look of what do you want. Zayn quickly responded “Niall we are worried about you. You are bleeding a lot. The doctors were supposed to close the cut in your throat and we fear they might not have closed it correctly. All this blood is not a good thing”.

Niall rolled his eyes, he thought his boyfriends were blowing this all out of proportion. If he could talk, he would talk some sense into the lads. He hated when the guys treated him like baby, it made him feel like a burden. Just then Liam entered the room. “What did the doctor say” Louis asked.

“That what Niall is experiencing is normal, but if it continues for a couple more days we should bring him back in” Liam replied. “I’m sorry Harry, I should have believed you earlier today. All this blood is definitely not good”.

“It’s fine. I know sometimes I can act a little crazy” Harry responded, wrapping his arm around Liam. 

Niall was fine, he was sure of it. He knew his boyfriends were acting crazy, because they were so protective over him. He didn’t want to be a burden. A little blood never hurt anyone, besides the doctor did say it was normal to bleed. Niall decided to hide the blood from the lads. Then Niall could finally heal in peace. It’s not like it could get worst. “You want some dinner Ni” Zayn asked, hearing Niall’s stomach rumble. 

The blonde said yes by nodding and Harry went to the kitchen to get a container of ice cream. Niall began swallowing all the blood that appeared in his throat. Liam brought over another glass of water and commanded the blonde to drink it. 

Niall did as he was told and saw the water helped drain the blood from his mouth. Looks like he will be drinking water more often. Niall requested for his drink to be refilled and Liam gladly obliged.

A carton full of ice cream was placed in front of Niall. The boy drooled at the cold food. He couldn’t believe he was allowed to eat the whole thing. Harry handed Niall a spoon, much to Liam’s horror and the blonde dug in. Whenever Niall tasted blood in his mouth, he would quickly take a sip of water to wash it away. 

“That’s weird your mouth doesn’t seem to be bleeding anymore” Zayn commented, seeing no blood on the ice cream or spoon.

Niall felt guilty tricking his boyfriends, but he just wanted them to stop worrying over him. Now Niall needed to come up with a plan of how to hide the blood on his pillow in the morning. Maybe he would wake up a couple minutes earlier than them and switch towels. The blonde smiled to himself clearly pleased with his plan. “Why are you so happy Ni” Liam wondered, seeing Niall randomly smile. It wasn’t a normal smile, his normal ones stretched across his face and showed in his eyes. This one seemed forced. The blonde pointed to the ice cream, indicating that was what was making him smile. “Whatever you say” Liam replied. 

Niall took another pill before bed. He laid down on the edge of the bed much to the lads surprise. The blonde usually slept in the middle. “Why are you in my spot” Louis asked, hovering over Niall. 

“Louis it is fine, just take Niall’s spot. Maybe he wants to be on the end to get water easier and spit out blood” Liam suggested. Niall nodded his head and pointed at Liam, telling the boys that was his intention. 

When the other lads were asleep, Niall set an alarm on his phone. He put in ear buds, so he would be the only one to wake up to it. Harry snuggled against Niall the whole night. At around 7am Niall’s alarm went off.

Very sneakily, Niall crawled out of bed, careful not to disturb Harry. If any of the lads woke up his plan would be ruined. Niall checked the towel on his pillow and saw it was drenched in blood. If he hadn’t had known the towel was white, he would have thought it was red. Niall hid the bloody towel in his clothes drawer. 

He grabbed another white towel and put it on his pillow. Slowly he climbed back in bed and cuddled with Harry. Mission complete, now the boys won’t worry about him all day. 

A couple minutes later, Liam’s alarm went off, echoing through the whole room. “Liam I feel like you set the alarm to an earlier time every day” Louis yawned. 

“No, you are just tired every morning, because you stay up super late” Liam sassed, feeling very refreshed after a good night's sleep.. Harry got up out of bed and ran to check on Niall. 

Harry looked over Niall and saw no blood on the towel. “The bleeding must have stopped” Harry commented. “We must have just been over reacting yesterday”. Niall smiled and nodded his head yes. 

Zayn went to get the blonde’s pain medicine, before Niall got out of bed. “Take this” Zayn ordered, handing his boyfriend the pill and water. Niall gladly took the medicine, not wanting to feel the excruciating pain in his throat. Another day of eating ice cream, made Niall bubble with excitement. He could never grow tired of ice cream. 

The cold ice cream helped numb his throat and relieved him of some pain. The water helped wash down the blood. This became a pattern for the rest of the week. The lads had believed Niall had gotten better, but he really hadn’t. Each day he would wake up with more blood on his pillow. He had to continually swallow blood, because if he didn’t his boyfriends would see. 

Finally one day, the bleeding wouldn’t stop. His throat would usually bleed for a little, but then stop. The blood today, though was beginning to overflow in his mouth and he couldn’t swallow it all. Niall ran into the bathroom and locked the door. He began coughing up blood. 

He needed a place to spit the blood out, so he used the toilet. Soon he was spitting out mouthfuls of blood. It oozed out of the blonde and seemed to be never ending. 

“Where is Niall” Harry asked, walking into the TV room. Louis looked up from the television, which was currently playing the fourth season of Teen Wolf. “You have a problem with Teen Wolf, Lou” Harry commented.

“No I don’t” Louis scoffed. “I can stop whenever I want”.

“You said that 4 days ago” Zayn added.

“Well I haven't seen the need to stop yet” Louis sassed back, turning to face Teen Wolf again.

“But guys seriously, where is Niall” Harry asked again.

“Last I saw him, he was in the bathroom” Liam answered, walking back into the room with a big bowl of popcorn “Did I miss anything good. Tell me Allison and Scott are still together.?”

“And when was that” Harry questioned, bringing Liam back on topic.

“About 10 minutes ago” Liam responded. The second Liam said that, he and Harry met eyes, panic filling both boys. They took off to the bathroom and began banging on the door. “Niall open up” Liam ordered. 

Liam and Harry heard Niall coughing in the bathroom and the sound of liquids falling inside the toilet. They heard gagging and knew their boyfriend was throwing up. “I’m fine” Niall said, in between coughs and spits.

“No you’re not. Open up now” Liam yelled, banging on the door harder.

“What’s wrong” Louis asked, with Zayn hot on his heels.

“Niall is in there not opening up” Harry replied. Louis and Zayn listened and heard Niall cough up more blood.

“Get out of the way” Zayn ordered, backing up. He got a running start and broke the door down with the side of his shoulder. 

When the door fell off of its hinges, the lads ran inside the bathroom. “Holy shit Niall” Harry shrieked, seeing the bloody sight in front of him. Blood was all over the toilet, but lots of it covered the floor. 

Niall leaned against the toilet, sobbing as he coughed up more blood. Louis quickly jumped into action and slid next to Niall not caring if he got blood all over him. “Liam get the car now. We are taking Ni to the hospital” Louis ordered. 

The sound of Liam’s retreating footsteps filled the temporary home. “Niall is this the first time you have bled since the operation” Zayn asked, concern in his voice.

“No” Niall confessed, tears streaking down his face.

“What the fuck do you mean by no” Zayn yelled.

“Zayn calm down, being angry will not help the situation” Harry pleaded. “What is done is done”.

“When did you start bleeding again” Louis asked, trying to make his voice sound calm unlike Zayn’s.

“I never stopped” Niall sobbed. 

“Shit” Louis muttered, rubbing Niall’s back. “Harry check to see if Liam pulled up the car yet”. Harry ran out of the room, leaving just Zayn, Louis, and Niall. Zayn had calmed down from his sudden outburst and was beginning to console Niall. 

Harry yelled from across the house “Liam is out front”.

“Niall can you walk” Louis asked getting up. Niall shook his head no. “Alright I will carry you. Zayn grab a bucket and meet me by the car.” 

Louis picked up Niall, whose mouth was still leaking blood. “Everything will be okay” Louis promised. 

“That is what you said the last time” Niall shot back. Louis stared down sadly at Niall, feeling super guilty. Zayn was already at the car, by the time Louis arrived. Niall was sat in the backseat with a bucket in front of him. Liam punched the gas and off One Direction went.

Harry sat in the front next to Liam, but was continually turning around to check on Niall. Louis sat in the middle with Zayn and Niall on either side of him. The sounds of gagging and coughing filled the car. Harry nearly threw up a couple times, hearing the blood hit the bottom of the bucket. Blood dripped down Niall’s chin and began staining his shirt. 

Liam stopped in front of the hospital and allowed everyone to get out. “I’ll meet you guys inside” Liam informed as he drove off to park the car.

Zayn picked up Niall and hurried through the revolving doors. The nurse looked up from her station, her eyes nearly popping out of her head. “Quickly put him in the wheelchair” she exclaimed. Zayn gently set down Niall and watched the lady wheel him away. The nurse screamed for someone to get a doctor, as she disappeared down a hallway. 

Zayn slid down the wall and hugged his knees. “We promised him everything would be okay” Zayn cried.

“How were we supposed to know that this was going to happen” Harry consoled, sitting down in front of Zayn. “We couldn’t predict this. Niall needed to get his tonsils out. We did what we thought was best”.

“You’re right” Zayn sighed, hitting his head against the wall. “I still feel guilty though”.

Louis meanwhile had tracked down the nurse and was questioning her on Niall’s condition. “Sir” the nurse reported “It has been 5 minutes. We cannot properly diagnose him in that short of a time period and if you continue to distract me from my job I won’t be able to do it. Now please sit down”.

Louis sat down in a seat, giving the death glare to the nurse. She rolled her eyes, annoyed and went back to her desk. Zayn and Harry joined Louis. The boys sat in silence. 

After a couple minutes, Liam came running in. “I had to drive around the parking lot five times in order to find a spot” Liam explained. “Where is Niall”.

“They took him back” Harry answered. “And no they have not told us anything about him”. Liam looked disappointed at Harry’s response. Sitting down, thoughts of what was happening to Niall ran through his head. 

A ringing phone from the front desk got the attention of the four boys. They watched the nurse pick it up and nod her head, making eye contact with the boys. Zayn knew the call was about Niall. 

Once she hung up the phone, she waved for the boys to come over. “So I just off the phone with the doctor” she informed.

“And” Louis snapped.

“He says they need to close the wound in his throat. Looks like whatever the doctors used to close Niall’s injury did not work. The doctor is going to have to cauterize the wound.” the lady reported. 

“What exactly does cauterize mean?” Harry asked, afraid to know the answer.

“It means we are going to burn the wound in order to make it stop bleeding. If it continues to bleed at that pace Niall could die” the nurse replied. Zayn flinched at her response. That sounded too painful for his little Niall. 

“Is there another way” Zayn questioned.

“No I’m sorry. It needs to be closed up like now and this is the fastest way. Once this is done, the wound will not bleed that badly again. It may not even bleed anymore” the nurse said. “You can go back to the chairs. I will call you over when I hear something else”.

Before Liam went back he thanked the nurse. She smiled at Liam and wished the lads good luck. 

An hour later, the nurse found the boys and said “The cauterize went great. You can bring Niall home now. The only bad side is the whole healing process must be repeated. All that healed was reopened, so the process must be started again. Watch over him to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

“Don’t worry this will never happen again” Liam promised.

“Yea, I am not letting Niall out of my sight” Zayn added. Louis and Harry agreed.

“Glad to hear” the nurse responded. “Please wait here while I go retrieve Niall”. 

The four boys waited impatiently to see their boyfriend. Just like the last time, Niall was pushed out asleep in a wheel chair. “Please watch over him” the nurse said once more, before giving the blonde to Liam.

In the car the boys all complained to each other. “This could have been avoided if Niall had just told us in the first place” Louis speculated.

“I swear he makes things way more complicated than it needs to be” Zayn added.

“He doesn’t want to be a bother. That is why he does it” Harry declared.

“I hate when he does things like this, because he always gives me such a scare” Liam said. 

The four boys arrived back home and carried a sleeping Niall to the TV room. They were going to have a talk with him once he woke up. Lying around the couch, the lads discussed the stern talking to Niall was about to receive. 

Niall woke up groaning, looking at his throat. Liam silently handed Niall a pill and a glass of water. The blonde gave confused glances to each of his boyfriends, before swallowing the pill. The lads all glared at Niall. 

The blonde pointed at their faces as if asking, why they were making them. “You want to know why we are pissed” Louis asked. Niall nodded yes. “Maybe it is because you hid your bleeding mouth from us”.

Niall looked down, ashamed. “Do you know how scary is was to see you coughing up blood. I felt helpless and scared shitless. You can’t do this to us Niall” Harry pleaded.

“We are a team Ni. We have to tell each other everything. I know you don’t want to be a burden, but you aren’t one. We love you Ni and just want the best for you. Let us help you next time” Liam cried. 

Tears began falling freely down Niall’s face. “You really scared me. Just please don’t ever do that again” Louis croaked, also starting to cry. “ You could have killed yourself. I don’t want to imagine life without you.”.

“Promise me next time you aren’t feeling well, you will say something. It can be the dumbest thing for all I care, just talk to us” Harry begged, his eyes beginning to glisten with tears. 

Niall nodded his head, tears pooling down his face. He had never realized what his boyfriends went through or that they cared this much. They went through hell thanks to Niall. “I’m sorry” Niall cried. “I promise to talk to you guys next time”.

“Don’t talk Ni, but thank you. I feel a lot better” Zayn said, pulling Niall in for a hug. He wiped the tears off of Niall’s face and gently stroked the boy’s hair. The other lads surrounded Niall and wrapped their arms around him. 

They sat like that for a while, embracing each other. The five boys loved each other and would do anything for the other lads. Niall eventually healed, after that tiny setback. The bond between the five of them only grew during that time period. One Direction knew that no matter how big or small a problem was they would be there for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think? Feedback is always appreciated? I would also love you forever if you checked out my bodyguard story involving One Direction. Have a good day my loves.


	18. Not an Update

I know I have written in a while and I am sorry. Right now though I am in Spain and I can't really write. I will be here for about a month. I promise once I get back I will update. Thank you for continuing to read my stories. I love you guys. Have a great summer.


	19. Chapter 19

I know I have written in a while and I am sorry. Right now though I am in Spain and I can't really write. I will be here for about a month. I promise once I get back I will update. Thank you for continuing to read my stories. I love you guys. Have a great summer.


	20. Don't Tell Niall

Liam woke up late one night to his phone ringing. Groaning, he turned on the lamp beside his bed and grabbed his phone from the night stand. Who was calling him at this ungodly hour? Liam shielded his eyes from the light. After a couple of seconds, Liam’s eyes finally adjusted to the brightness.

He looked down at his phone and saw Zayn was calling him. Zayn had left the On The Road Again Tour a couple weeks ago. He claimed it was due to stress and needing a break. Liam grew worried as he answered the phone. “Hey Zayn” Liam said, his heart racing.

“Did I wake you up?” Zayn asked his voice rough. Liam heard his boyfriend try to sniff discretely.

“No I was awake” Liam lied. “Is something wrong babe?”

Liam heard Zayn suck in his breath. The line went silent for a couple of seconds before Zayn answered, “Yes something is wrong”.

“What is it?”

“I’m quitting the band” Zayn cried. Zayn was terrified that his boyfriends would hate him for quitting the group. 

This statement woke Liam up, as he jumped out of bed. “What? Why?” Liam screamed, tears beginning to run down his face.

“It’s for the best. I’m not happy anymore, Liam” Zayn cried. “Please don’t hate me”.

Liam calmed down and reminded, “I could never hate you Zayn. I’m just surprised that’s all”. Liam thought about the past couple of months and realized just how unhappy Zayn had been. The boy had claimed he was tired or just over worked. Now Liam knew it was something more. Zayn’s job was no longer making him happy.

“Oh” Zayn sighed, happy his boyfriend didn’t hate him. “I have to go, Liam. I need to call the others and tell them, before I change my mind. This is really hard for me. I’ll talk to you in the morning.” Zayn had stayed up half the night debating himself on whether or not he should leave the group. Once he made his decision, he was filled with a sort of adrenaline. He told his manager first and then decided to call Liam. He was beginning to lose his nerve, so he needed to tell the other lads before it disappeared. 

Before Zayn could hang up, Liam yelled, “Stop”.

“What?” Zayn asked.

“Don’t tell Niall. He won’t be able to handle it”

“Then what should we do?”

“We’ll tell him when the time is right like on our next break. Come on Zayn you know he can’t handle something like this. Niall is a lot more sensitive than us”

Zayn paused thinking about the idea. He agreed, “Alright I’ll wait, but I’m telling the others”

“Thank you. Goodnight Zayn. I love you. Good luck with telling the other lads. I want you to know I’m proud of you. I’ll talk to you tomorrow”

“Love you too Liam”. And with that Zayn hung up the phone, and called his other boyfriends, well all except Niall. 

The other lads reacted differently than Liam. Harry cried, and spent a good hour trying to convince Zayn to change his mind. Louis on the other hand was pissed. He wasn’t really mad at Zayn, but mostly himself. He was the oldest, the one who should know when the lads aren’t happy. Harry and Louis both agreed though, to not tell Niall. They both knew how crushed their boyfriend would be.

Liam woke up extra early in the morning to have a group meeting with Louis, Harry, and their manager. Niall was still sound asleep in his room. 

“As you boys know Zayn is no longer in One Direction” their manager Paul explained. “Later today Zayn will be making a Facebook post about leaving. I know how terrible you boys must feel, but we still need to finish the tour. Just continue to sing Zayn’s solos like you have been doing. We have a break coming up soon, and I know you guys can last till then”.

“Of course we can Paul” Liam reassured. “We will give this tour everything we have”. 

“What about Niall?” Harry questioned. He wasn’t crazy about keeping Niall out of the loop. He might have agreed last night but he wasn’t in his right mind. He was too busy crying about Zayn leaving to think straight. 

Louis sighed, “Harry, we both know Niall is more sensitive than us. If he knew his world would explode. We wouldn’t be able to finish this leg of the tour. Niall would blame himself and probably never leave his room.”

“I guess you’re right”, Harry grumbled crossing his arms. He still wasn’t fully convinced.

“We will tell him when this part of the tour is done, so he has the break to cry. Then we can be there with him helping him get over Zayn’s absence, instead of having concerts and interviews everyday. Besides Zayn would be able to stay with us on the break and convince Niall that everything will be alright” Liam said. Harry wanted to argue, but Paul spoke first.

Paul smiled “I like the idea. I’ll tell the staff to not say anything about Zayn in front of Niall. It will be your boys jobs to keep him away from the social media. I will cancel all the interviews so we won’t get any questions about Zayn”.

The Louis and Liam nodded their heads. “Good. I will see you guys later” Paul said, exiting the room. Harry crossed his arms not liking the idea.

“How are we going to keep Niall away from Twitter?” Louis asked. 

Liam shrugged “I have no idea”.

“I don’t think we should wait until the break to tell Niall” Harry stated. “It isn’t right. Actually, I’m going to go tell him right now.” Harry then, proceed to run out of the room to find Niall. If he was in Niall’s position he would want the others to tell him. 

“Harry wait” Liam screamed, running after his boyfriend. Louis rolled his eyes and followed. 

Harry ran to the blond’s bedroom and began knocking on the door. “The door’s open”, he heard Niall yell. Harry barged in making the door smack loudly against the wall. 

He walked towards the bedroom, and saw Niall sitting in the middle of the bed crying. The blond was hugging his knees and quietly crying. “What’s wrong Ni?” Harry cooed, crawling on the bed to get to his boyfriend.

“Nothing, I just really miss Zayn. I hope he comes back soon, because I don't know what I would do without him. I hate singing without him.” Niall vented, “If he left, I don’t think the band would ever be the same again. You know? Like I don’t want to imagine performing without Zayn. I don’t think I could physically perform anymore, if Zayn was no longer in the band. I just really want him to come back”, Niall revealed wiping his eyes.

Harry hummed in response, not really sure what to say. This was the moment to tell the truth, but Harry physically couldn’t. He didn’t want to be the reason Niall cried. He didn’t want to be the one to tell Niall. The blond would be crushed. “I’m sure he will come back soon” Harry lied, hating himself for doing it.

“He definitely will”, Liam added walking into the bedroom. “Now who wants breakfast?”

“Me” Niall cheered, jumping out of bed. The blond darted into the bathroom to get ready.

Liam gently pulled Harry into the other room. “Do you see now why we have to wait to tell Niall?” Liam asked. “It will destroy him when he finds out”

“I’ll wait” Harry agreed. 

Louis came out of the bedroom with his arm wrapped around Niall. The blond was giggling profusely over something Louis had said. Louis had the power to just say one word, and make Niall crack up. Louis smiled, pulling Niall closer to his chest.

At breakfast, Liam silently sat there trying to figure out how to keep Niall from seeing the news that Zayn left the band. Louis though, came up with the idea first. He smiled and excitedly said, “Hey guys I just came up with the most amazing game to play”.

This seemed to grab Niall’s attention. Niall loved competitions and always tried to win. No matter how hard he tried, Niall could never win Louis’s games. “What is it?” the blond asked.

“We all turn off our phones and not go on any social media sites. No watching tv. We just cut ourselves off from the world. And whoever lasts the longest wins” Louis explained. 

Niall’s excitement washed away slightly, and he looked at Louis with confusion. Harry quickly praised, “That sounds so much fun. Then we can focus more on each other, we won’t constantly be distracted by our phones. I will play the game Louis. Besides it’s not like we have much time to do any of those things since we are on tour”. 

“I’ll play too” Liam added. 

The three lads turned to Niall and waited for his answer. “I guess I’ll play, but what does the winner get?”

Louis got up and whispered in Niall’s ear “a very special surprise”.

“Can I still call Zayn and my family?” Niall asked.

“Yes, but on the hotel phone” Louis answered, coming up with the rules on the spot.

“You guys are going down” Niall taunted already getting way too excited over the competition. The blond shut off his phone and gave it to Louis. The others followed his lead. The games had begun. 

Louis unplugged the tv in Niall's room and hid the cords just incase the blond tried to cheat. He knew when Zayn writes the post the world would go to hell. Louis also called Niall’s mom and begged her to not mention Zayn quitting One Direction to Niall. She agreed, but she wasn’t happy about it. 

Liam took Niall down to the hotel pool, after making the hotel close it down. He wanted privacy and the hotel happily obliged to closing the pool, because they were celebrities. Liam felt a little bad about having the pool closed off, but when he saw how happy Niall was in the pool, the feeling was quickly forgotten. It was only Liam and Niall at first. Harry joined them later taking his sweet old time changing into his swimming trunks, while Louis hid up in his room. 

All the lads phones were blowing up with text messages and tweets. Zayn had officially left the group and the world was freaking out. Louis followed the hashtags and watched the news coverage. He was glad Liam brought Niall down to the pool. If not Niall would have definitely found out about Zayn. 

Fan girls everywhere were sobbing and tweeting like crazy. Louis called Zayn and told him about keeping Niall out of the loop. "What should I tell Niall if he asks where I am?" Zayn questioned, on the phone. 

"Just tell him you're sick or something" Louis replied. "How you doing, Zayn?"

"I'm fine. I didn't expect such a reaction when I posted on Facebook. I am glad to be home, but I do miss you guys". 

"We miss you too. You'll have to visit soon, once all this blows over."

"Definitely. Well I gotta go. I am talking to some new record people for my solo album. This guy Naughty Boy wants me to sign onto his label” Zayn explained. “I'll call you lads later. Love you" Zayn declared, hanging up the phone. 

"I guess, I'll go to the pool" Louis muttered, to himself throwing on his bathing suit. 

Niall was having a splashing war with Liam and Harry, when Louis arrived at the pool. "Who wants to play Marco Polo?" Louis asked. 

"Me" Niall exclaimed, raising his hand like he was in school. 

"Liam's it" Louis yelled, cannon balling into the water. 

"Why me?" Liam whined. 

"Because you're the oldest and a loser" Louis explained. 

Liam rolled his eyes, "I'm pretty sure you are the oldest, Louis".

"Yes, but you act older. Which makes you a loser, which in turn makes you it" Louis sassed back, pushing Liam under the water. 

"Fine. I'll be it" Liam groaned, closing his eyes. "Marco".

When no one responded Liam yelled, " You guys do know when I yell Marco you say Polo?" Liam heard Niall giggle, and swam towards the sound. "Marco".

"Polo" a voice screamed to his left. 

The game went on for a while and Liam was not able to catch anyone. Every time someone would yell Polo they would be gone before Liam got to them. The boys were moving way too fast for Liam. They would be on a end of the pool, but somehow end up on the other side in a matter of seconds. Finally the boy grew frustrated and opened his eyes. He saw Harry, Niall, and Louis all sitting outside the pool laughing at him. "You cheaters" Liam growled. "That is how you guys kept moving around so fast". 

Harry and Niall fell against each other laughing. Louis smirked darkly at Liam. Liam knew it was probably Louis's idea to get out of the pool. 

Liam swam over to Louis and pulled him into the pool. "Did I mention you're the worst boyfriend ever?" Liam said to Louis. 

Louis scoffed pretending to be hurt. "That hurts Liam not physically, but emotionally". 

Liam rolled his eyes and splashed Louis in the face. 

Harry pushed Niall in the pool and jumped in right after him. The boyfriends swam around for a couple more hours, before they grew tired. "I'm heading back to my room to take a shower" Niall yawned, climbing out of the water. 

"Don't forget about the competition" Louis reminded the blond. 

"Wasn't planning on it, because I am totally going to win" Niall taunted, leaving the pool and heading towards the elevator. The boy wrapped a towel loosely around his hips to keep water from dripping all over the floor.

The three boys watched Niall leave the pool. The second he left, Harry turned to Louis and asked, “How bad is it on twitter?”.

“It’s a mess” Louis admitted. “Fans are crying and getting mad. I’m scared they won’t support us anymore. I mean, we really aren’t One Direction without Zayn”.

“What if people don’t come to our concerts anymore. What if they boo us” Harry feared.

“Never going to happen Harry. Our fans are way too amazing for that” Liam said, comforting Harry. He pulled the younger boy in for a hug and gently kissed his cheek. 

“I wonder what tomorrow’s concert will be like?” Louis imagined. He feared that Niall would find out Zayn left the band. “Hopefully there won’t be too many signs about Zayn”.

The first concert with Zayn no longer in the band was tense. Fans made sure to show their love for the boys and Niall took notice. Niall thought the city they were playing in, just really loved the band. Many girls held up signs about Zayn and other signs told about how much they loved and supported the boys. “I wonder why they have so many signs about Zayn?” Niall wondered. 

“The fans just probably miss him” Harry whispered to Niall. “Stop reading the signs babe. It will only make you sad.”

“I guess you’re right” Niall sighed. All those signs about Zayn kept reminding Niall that he wasn’t there. Niall decided to listen to Harry’s advice, and began to ignore the signs. 

Louis and Liam tried to keep the mood upbeat, but it was getting hard. The fans were sad and so were the lads. Right now, Louis just wanted to go backstage and cry. He didn’t want to sing Zayn’s solos, he wanted Zayn to. 

At one point in the concert Harry started to cry. He just couldn’t handle being up on stage without Zayn. All the fans chanting Zayn’s name and making all those nice signs were enough to make Harry crack. Tears ran down his face as he sang Story of My Life.

Louis looked at Harry with sad eyes. He couldn’t cry though, not in front of Niall. “You can do this Harry” Liam encouraged, putting his arm around his boyfriend. 

Harry nodded his head and finished the song. He quickly wiped away the fallen tears and went on with the show. “You guys have been amazing” Niall yelled to the crowd. “Thank you for having us.” 

The lads performed their last song, The Best Song Ever. Once they finished, the boys ran off the stage and went to their black SUV’s. Louis and Liam rode in the first car while Niall and Harry went in the other one. “Harry are you okay? I saw you crying on stage” Niall asked, concern written all over his face.

“Yea” Harry lied through gritted teeth. “A fan threw a glow stick at me and it hit me right in the face”.

“Oh” Niall gasped, “Is your face okay? Does it hurt?”. Niall wiggled his eyebrows and asked “Should I kiss it and make it better?”

“Actually my face does hurt right here” Harry said, pointing to his lips.

Niall smirked, “Cheeky”. The blond leaned in and kissed Harry on the lips. 

Louis and Liam were in the other car discussing the concert. “I’m so glad the fans are still supporting us” Louis admitted.

“I never doubted them for a second” Liam replied, kissing Louis’s hand. 

At the hotel the lads told each other goodnight, and headed to their rooms. Paul was making the boys stay in separate hotel rooms for security purposes. If fans somehow broke into the hotel they couldn’t get all the boys at once. If they were all together in a hotel room, One Direction would be an easy target. 

Niall collapsed on his bed, drained from the concert. He missed his cell phone, but there was no way he was going to lose the game. This was the competition has was going to win. He wanted to see the look on Louis’s face when he won the game. Niall fell on the bed groaning, as he got changed into his pajamas. 

The blond picked up the hotel phone next to him and decided to call Zayn. After a couple rings, Zayn picked up. “Hello. Who is this?” Zayn questioned.

“It’s Niall” the blond giggled.

“Hey Ni. How you doing?”

“I’m good, I just really miss you. When are you coming back Zaynie?”

“Ummm soonish” Zayn replied nervously. “Right now I am sick and I just need to rest.”

“Oh, well I miss you.”

“Same Niall. Well I have to go. Love you. Bye.” Zayn hung up before Niall could respond. 

Niall sighed sadly. He missed Zayn a lot. He thought it was weird how tense and nervous Zayn got when he asked when he was coming back. The conversation ended so fast and Niall was disappointed. Niall decided to not think too hard about it and went to sleep. Maybe Zayn was just really tired or was feeling really ill. 

In the morning, all the lads met up in Niall’s room. “Want to head down to the cafeteria for breakfast?” the blond asked innocently.

“No” Liam yelled a little too quickly. Niall shot him a look of hurt. “I mean let’s just eat up here. Just the four of us. It will be romantic and quiet. People won’t come up to us and ask for pictures and autographs” Liam explained. 

“I guess” Niall sighed. 

Louis ordered room service, while the other lads sat around each other awkwardly on the couch. “I miss my phone” Niall said, breaking the silence. “Would it be against the rules to check it for texts and missed calls?”

“Yes” Harry replied. Niall groaned and fell back dramatically on the couch. 

Louis came back into the room once the food was ordered. “You look beautiful today, Niall” Louis beamed.

Niall blushed a deep red. “You tell me that everyday”.

“Well it’s true. And I will keep telling you that, because you are my boyfriend and I love you” Louis replied. Niall hid his face, embarrassed by the compliment.

The food came a couple minutes later and the boys happily ate. They ate in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. “Why do you think Paul canceled all of our interviews?” 

Harry dropped his fork on his plate, while Louis’s mouth hung open. Neither of the boys knew what to say. “Ma-ybe he wanted to give us a break” Liam stuttered, not really sure what to say.

“Why are you guys acting so weird?” Niall questioned, beginning to notice how strange the lads have been acting for the past couple of days. 

Liam remarked, “I don’t know what you are talking about”.

“Whatever” Niall commented, not really believing his boyfriends. 

“How’s your food Niall?” Louis asked, changing the subject. 

“Fine” Niall breathed. The conversation ended there and the rest of breakfast was eaten in silence. 

“So I talked to Zayn last night” Harry said, throwing away his trash.

“How long did you talk to him?” Niall asked.

“I don’t know maybe an hour or longer” Harry shrugged. 

Why would Zayn talk to Harry for that long, but not him? “Yea Zayn talked to me for that long as well last night” Louis agreed, getting up from the table. Niall felt his heart break after Liam agreed with the others. The lads were keeping a secret from him and Niall was scared. “Is there something wrong Niall” Louis asked staring at his blond boyfriend.

“No. I’m just thinking that’s all” Niall responded, pushing his chair out from under the breakfast table.

\----------------

The week's carried on like this. Harry, Liam, and Louis would act totally strange and suspicious about everything. Niall grew used to it. He knew his boyfriends were keeping something from him. It broke his heart knowing the lads were keeping a secret. He thought that there were not supposed to be secrets in relationships. No matter how much Niall asked no one would tell him what the secret was. They kept denying it, and then when they thought Niall wasn’t looking they would shoot each other worried looks.

\---------------

One Direction were, sitting around backstage before their concert. After this concert was over, the lads would have a break to visit family and work on the new album. Niall needed a break. He just wanted to sit on his phone all day and catch up on everything he missed. He was driving himself crazy. 

“Niall where are you going during the break?” Liam questioned, snapping the blond out of his trance.

“I don’t know” Niall admitted.

“You can come stay with me” Liam suggested.

“Maybe, but I really need to have some time to myself.”

“Don’t forget about the competition on the break. No phone or social media activities.”

Niall sighed, “The game isn’t really fun anymore. I quit. You guys win or whatever.” Niall walked off and began getting dressed for the concert.

Liam ran off to find the others and told them about how strange the blond had been acting. “We have to tell Niall the truth soon” Harry said.

“We will during the break” Louis promised.

“I don’t think we should. I mean he hasn’t been his happy self in a while. I think you might be going through one of his sad phases. Maybe we should wait until he goes back to his normal self” Liam explained. “Besides we won’t be with him on the break to console him. He will need someone’s shoulder to cry on”.

“Liam how are we supposed to record the new album if he still thinks Zayn is in the band? ” Louis questioned.

“I don’t know” Liam remarked. “But we can’t tell him when we get together to record the album. He won’t be able to help write and record the new songs.” 

“We should not have waited this long to tell him” Harry said. Harry checked his watch and saw the concert started soon. “We need to get ready for the concert. Come on.”

Liam pulled Louis aside right before the concert. “Niall wants his phone back, he wants to quit the game.”

“Shit, what should we do?” Louis worried.

“Break his phone” Liam suggested.

Louis groaned, “We’ll talk about this later”. He didn’t like the idea of breaking Niall’s phone, but if it was the only way to keep him off of social media, he would do it. 

The concert went great, but the fans could tell One Direction was tired. They needed a break, which was exactly what they were getting. Liam and Louis had a water war on stage, while Harry interacted with the crowd just like all the other concerts. Niall hung in the back and played his guitar. Which was not normal for the boy. He would usually laugh at his boyfriends or talk with crowd. But tonight he just stayed to himself only talking when necessary. He just really wanted to sleep. He hadn’t talked to Zayn in a couple days, and did not plan on calling him tonight. 

After the concert, Niall got ready to head to the airport. “Hey Louis, can I have my phone back, please?” Niall asked.

“Well I have some bad news Niall. I might have accidentally broke it” Louis lied. Liam and Louis had broken the phone when the concert finished. They dropped the phone until it cracked and ultimately died. “Sorry” he apologized.

“That’s perfect” Niall snapped. “Just great”.

“I already said I was sorry. What else do you want?”

“When did you break it Louis?”

“Umm, a while ago”

“Whatever. I know you’re lying” Niall cried. “I’ll see you later”. Niall quickly left the hotel, not telling any of his boyfriends goodbye. Louis felt guilty and tried to talk to the blond. Niall ignored him and climbed into the car. 

“Call me when you land” Louis yelled to Niall.

“With what” Niall yelled back, “Last time I checked, I didn’t have a phone”. Louis was hurt by Niall’s comment, but he bit his tongue to stop himself from saying anything back. 

The blond arrived at the airport 2 hours early, and sat at his terminal bored out of his mind, since he didn’t have a phone to entertain himself. He decided to call Zayn, they haven’t talked in a while. Niall walked over to a payphone and put in the required amount of money. The first thing Niall planned to get in Ireland was a new phone and go on Twitter and never leave the app. He was going through Twitter withdrawal. 

Zayn picked up saying, “Hello”.

“Hey. It’s Niall.”

“I’m glad to hear from you. We haven’t talked in a couple days.” Zayn said. “The lads told me, you are heading home for the break.”

“Yea I am. And then we are going to record the next album.” Niall replied. “Are you feeling better? Are you going to join us on the next leg of the tour?” Niall questioned.

“Wait, have they not told you yet?” Zayn asked. “I thought they told you the truth and that was why you hadn’t called me. I thought you were mad at me”

“Tell me what?” Niall worried.

Zayn sighed. This was not how he wanted to tell his boyfriend, but he deserved to know. “Niall, I quit One Direction. I’m no longer in the band”. Before Zayn could say anymore, Niall dropped the phone. He stood there in a trance. His whole world was crashing down around him. Niall couldn't’ go home. He couldn’t face his family. He needed to go somewhere that the lads wouldn’t find him. Without even knowing it, his legs had carried him to the ticket person. 

Niall bought the next flight to America, which left in 30 minutes. By the time he got through security, the flight was boarding. He hopped on the plane and leaned against the seat. He cried himself to sleep on the airplane. He couldn’t believe what his boyfriends had done. 

Meanwhile Zayn was freaking out. “Niall answer me!” he screamed into the phone. 

“Hello whoever this is” a voice that Zayn did not recognize said. “The boy you were talking to left. He ran away crying. Just thought you should know. Now if you excuse I need to use this line, so goodbye”. The stranger hung up the phone and Zayn went into a panic.

Zayn’s mom heard her child yelling profanities in his room. “What’s wrong sweetie?” she asked, opening her son’s door.

“I screwed up mom. I screwed up really bad” Zayn sobbed. The boy then, proceed to tell his mother everything. 

The mother looked at her child with disappointment. She said, “I don’t really know what to say Zayn. It was wrong what you did on so many levels. You need to apologize to Niall and hope he forgives you. Call the other boys and find out where Niall is. Fix this before it’s too late”. Zayn’s mom left the room, taking one last look at her son. “Good luck” she whispered, before shutting the door. 

Zayn grabbed his phone and typed in Liam’s number. “Hey babe” Liam beamed. 

“Are the others with you?” Zayn snapped.

“Yea”

“Good put me on speaker now” Zayn commanded. After Liam did as he was told, Zayn yelled, “You assholes. I don’t have words to describe how pissed I am at you. You said you were going to tell Niall the truth like last week.”

“We are soon” Harry defended.

“Don’t worry he already knows” Zayn clarified, anger seething into his voice.

“How?” Louis questioned.

“I told him, because I thought he already knew. Niall is crushed. He hung up the phone on me and ran off. I have no idea where he is. We hurt Niall. We hurt him really bad.”

“We have to find him” Liam said. “He went to Ireland, so we will just take the next flight there”.

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that. Knowing Niall, he changed his flight. He knew we would come after him” Zayn remarked.

Harry jumped up saying, “I’ll call his mom”. Harry left the room, but came back a couple seconds later looking defeated. “His mom says Niall called her and told her he was no longer going to Ireland. He wouldn’t tell her where he is. I’m scared guys”.

“We’ll find him. Don’t worry” Louis promised, wrapping his arm around Harry’s waist.

Zayn said, “I’m jumping on the next flight over to where you guys are. Then we will start our search for Niall”. Zayn hung up the phone and rushed over to the airport.

Liam picked up Zayn from the airport, and drove him back to the hotel. Zayn didn’t speak to his boyfriend. He was angry beyond words. “I really didn’t think it would go this far” Liam confessed. “I just wanted to keep Niall happy. I thought I was helping him.” 

Zayn crossed his arms “Whatever. I just want to find him.”

Niall landed in America and went to the nearest phone store. He bought the new Iphone and downloaded all of his contacts. Thank god he backed everything up on the icloud. He went through twitter and saw all these tweets that were posted on his account. The lads posted tweets for him. He felt so violated. He couldn’t believe his boyfriends had pretended to be him on Twitter. Niall slid to the ground outside the phone store and cried. 

He saw the Facebook post about Zayn leaving and felt his heart break. Then he read Liam’s long tweet, about how they would stay together as a band. If only the fans knew the band was falling apart. The blond went through all missed calls and texts. His family texted him and asked if he was okay. Niall missed a lot while he played Louis’s little game. He couldn’t believe his boyfriends had done this. 

Niall walked to the nearest hotel and checked in. The blond locked himself in his room, and full on sobbed. Did the guys not love him? Why would they not tell him? Was he that much of a baby? Were they breaking up with him? Has Niall been kicked out of the relationship? All these thoughts ran through his head, driving Niall crazy. He wanted his boyfriends, but at the same time he didn’t. 

Louis and Harry stalked twitter, praying a fan would post an update about Niall’s location. No one seemed to know where the blond was. “Guys he is on skype” Zayn yelled from his chair. “Maybe he got a new phone”.

“I’ll try calling him” Liam exclaimed.

“I’ll try skyping Niall” Zayn added. The lads held their breath, hoping their boyfriend would pick up. Niall answered Liam’s phone call.

Liam only heard breathing on the other line. He heard some sniffles and knew Niall was crying. “Ni, I’m so sorry. We didn’t want you to find out this way. Please tell us where you are” Liam begged. 

“Do you guys hate me?” Niall croaked, a sob escaping his mouth. 

“No, we love you Niall” Louis interjected. 

Niall cried “Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because we were idiots” Harry explained.

“You guys hurt me really bad. I’m not sure if I can forgive you” Niall admitted, and then he hung up the phone.

“Niall” Harry cried. “We messed up really bad boys” Harry said, turning to his boyfriends.

Harry cried against Louis, soaking the boy’s shirt with his tears. Liam fell on the couch and screamed into a pillow. He was mad at himself for letting it go this far. Zayn walked around the room deep in thought. Then an idea popped into his mind.

He quickly ran over to Harry’s laptop and threw it open. He began typing away, madly on the computer. “What are you doing?” Louis asked in between sobs. 

“A while back, I installed find my Iphone on all of your phones. You know incase I needed to find any of you. If Niall has logged into the icloud, we can track him” Zayn explained, opening up the app. He typed in the information and waited for the app to locate Niall.

“Is it working?” Harry asked, peeking over Zayn’s shoulder. 

Zayn muttered, “I hope”. The computer dinged and showed Niall was in New York. “It found him” Zayn exclaimed. 

“Let’s go” Liam said. “Print out the address and let’s drive to the airport.”

The next flight to New York was in a couple of hours. The four lads killed time by continually calling Niall. Harry sent him a 15 page text message, saying how sorry he was. Liam left about 20 voicemails each longer than the other. Louis sobbed against Zayn’s chest, while Zayn whispered soothing words to his weeping boyfriend. 

Boarding the plane was a nightmare as well. Since the lads bought tickets so last minute, they couldn’t get seats next to each other. Liam sat in the back of the plane. Harry sat across from Zayn. Louis was seated in the front of the plane. The people on the flight were mostly adults, who either didn’t care it was One Direction or had no idea who they were. 

The airplane ride was boring and long. None of the boys could sleep. They were too worried about Niall. Liam tried to listen to his Ipod, but he couldn’t enjoy the music. He couldn’t be happy, knowing the pain he caused his boyfriend. 

After 7 and a half hours, the plane landed. Louis hailed a taxi and the lads got into the car. They gave the driver the address to the hotel and off they went.

Liam checked his phone and saw 20 missed calls from their manager Paul. He called the man back. “Where the hell are you guys?” Paul screamed, into the phone when he picked up. “Do you know how worried I have been? You guys just can’t disappear and not tell me where you are going.” 

“We’re in New York” Liam told their manager.

“What? Why are you all in New York?”

“Me and the lads are trying to find Niall. Zayn is here with us too.”

“Niall found out about Zayn leaving the group, didn’t he?” Paul asked.

“Yes”

“Alright. Just get him back and pray he doesn’t quit the band”.

“Will do, sir” Liam promised, hanging up the phone. 

The taxi driver pulled up next to the hotel Niall was staying at. The driver told One Direction how much they owed him and Louis gladly paid the fine. The four boys ran inside the hotel and went to the front desk. “Hi we are looking for our friend Niall Horan. Can you please tell us what room he is staying in?” Louis requested.

“Oh let me just pull up his room number and tell you where he is staying” the woman behind the desk said, her voice filled with sarcasm.

“Really?” Harry exclaimed.

“No” the woman sassed back. “That is kinda against the rules to give away our customer's privacy.”

“Please” Louis begged. 

The woman rolled her eyes “Let me check if we changed our rules in the last two seconds.” The girl pretended to look down at her computer. “Sadly we haven't changed our rules. Sorry”. The woman put a frown on her face pretending to act sad. “And no amount of begging will make me give you his room number. Please make my life easy and leave.”

“What’s your name” Liam asked the woman.

The worker pointed to her name tag and read slowly like Liam was a child “Morgan”.

“Can we please talk to your manager?” Zayn requested, beginning to lose patience with Morgan. 

Morgan sighed loudly being over dramatic. “Peter” she yelled “Can you please come here?”

Peter appeared from an employee only area and gave the boys a forced smile.He met eyes with each of the lads but stopped when he met eyes with Zayn. The second he saw Zayn, Peter took a step back. “I wanna live in your socks so I can be with you every step of the way” he told Zayn.

Zayn shifted uncomfortably, not meeting Peter in the eyes. “Anyway what seems to be the problem here?” Peter huffed upset that Zayn didn’t like his pick-up line.

“We need to find out which room Niall Horan is staying in” Liam explained. 

“Why” Peter questioned.

Louis stepped in front of Zayn and answered, “We did something stupid and we need to apologize to him.”

“Not our problem” Morgan reminded the boys, a huge smile plastered on her face.

“If you don’t tell us where he is, we will knock on every door in this hotel until we find him” Harry threatened.

Peter groaned and stroked his mustache. Morgan rolled her eyes and scoffed at the boys. “Give them the room number” Peter ordered. 

Morgan looked up shocked at her boss. “Now” Peter yelled. Morgan groaned and typed away on the keyboard. She made sure to take her sweet old time. Peter stared at Zayn and whispered to him, “If you were a vegetable, you'd be a cute-cumber”.

“Thanks I guess” Zayn said, hiding behind Louis.

Morgan looked up from her computer and muttered “Niall is staying on the fifth floor in room 5.”

“Thank you” Harry said, as the lads took off to the elevator. 

Once in the elevator, Zayn confessed “Those people were weird”.

“Yea” Liam agreed. “I want to get Niall out of this hotel.”

The elevator reached the fifth floor and the four boys walked out of it. They found the fifth room and heard sobs coming from inside the room.

“What have we done?” Harry whispered sadly, guilt beginning to eat him away.

Louis asked, “Should we knock on the door and say it’s us or say room service?”

“Well he hasn’t answered any of our calls and texts, so I go with room service” Zayn replied.

Liam knocked on the door. “Who’s there?” Niall called out.

“Room service” Liam said, trying to disguise his voice. Niall opened the door and quickly tried to slam it shut when he saw it was his boyfriends. Luckily, Zayn stuck his foot in the door and blocked it from closing. 

Niall ran into his bedroom and threw the door shut, before the lads could stop him. Niall locked the door, keeping his boyfriends from coming in. “Why are you here? How did you find me?” Niall cried.

“How we found you isn’t important” Zayn answered.

“We came to apologize Ni. Please listen to us” Harry pleaded.

When Niall didn’t reply the others took it as a sign to continue. “Niall we were afraid to tell you the truth, because we hate seeing you upset. I was afraid you would be sad and that you wouldn’t be able to perform. I knew you would blame yourself, so I hid the news from you. And I’m sorry” Liam explained. 

Niall just continued to cry. “Please let us in” Harry begged.

“No” Niall cried. A couple moments later Niall croaked, “Do you guys hate me? Am I too much of a baby for you to tell?” 

“Niall James Horan, I could never hate you” Louis said, leaning against the door. “We don’t think you are a baby. We just wanted to keep you happy. We made a mistake.”

“You posted on twitter for me. How can I ever trust you lads again?” Niall asked, his voice coming out muffled and scratchy from all the crying. 

Harry whimpered since he was now crying, “We will just have to re-earn your trust. It won’t happen overnight, but over time you will begin to trust us. But that will only happen if you give us a chance.” 

“We are sorry for posting on your twitter” Liam apologized. “If I could take it back, I would. I know it was wrong and an invasion of privacy and I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you”.

“If it will help you to forgive us, I will rejoin the band” Zayn offered. “I will never leave One Direction again.”

“Zayn I don’t want you to come back to the band. You won’t be happy. I’m just hurt you didn't tell me. Coming back to One Direction wouldn’t help the situation at all. But the offer was sweet” Niall croaked. 

“Can you let us in Niall?” Louis said, praying the boy would. Much to his surprise, he heard Niall get off the bed. The door creaked open, revealing a puffy eyed Niall. He was clutching the wall, because his whole body would shake when he cried. His eyes were watery, as tears continually ran down his cheeks. The boy’s eyes were bloodshot and his eyelashes were clumped together like he had just taken a swim in the pool. Snot ran down Niall’s face as he cried. The tears seemed to be endless. Niall was hysterical and he couldn’t stop himself from shaking. Niall’s breaths were irregular and he sounded like he was having a hard time breathing when they entered the room.

 

Liam and Zayn jumped into action, trying to calm their boyfriend down. Zayn brought Niall to the bed and pulled him in for a cuddle. Liam laid his head onto Niall’s stomach. Zayn brushed his fingers through the blond’s head. Louis planted kisses up Niall’s arm, while Harry kept apologizing. He sounded like a broken record. 

Niall’s sobs began to calm down. His breaths were becoming more steady, unlike when the four lads first walked into the room. 

Niall wiped his eyes and sat up. The blond confessed, “I thought you guys were going to break up with me. You were so secretive and I thought you were going to break up with me. Then kick me out of the band”. 

He was going to keep talking, but Harry cut him off, “I’m so sorry you thought that. We could never kick you out. This relationship wouldn’t work without you. Without you, there would be no One Direction.”

“But there’s no One Direction without Zayn” Niall croaked.

“Yes there is Niall. You guys have done an amazing job without me. You guys don’t need me anymore and you have proved it” Zayn responded, kissing Niall’s forehead. 

All that crying had really worn Niall down. He felt his eyelids begin to droop. “Go to sleep Ni” Harry whispered. 

“Will you be here when I wake up?” Niall asked, sounding completely vulnerable.

Louis curled up next to Niall and promised “I will never leave you. We will be right here when you wake up”. That answer was enough for Niall and he stopped fighting sleep. Snores filled the room, as Niall fell asleep in the embrace of his boyfriends.

Zayn gently rubbed Niall’s back and hummed quietly to him. Liam fell asleep still lying on Niall’s stomach. Harry cuddled on the other side of Niall and soon was asleep. Louis eventually, choose to lean against Zayn but he held Niall’s hand the whole night.

The next morning Liam woke up first. Instead of getting up and peeing like he wanted too, he watched his boyfriends sleep. They looked so peaceful and happy while they slept. The lads and him were going to have to work extra hard to earn Niall’s forgiveness. Liam would walk to the ends of the Earth, if that meant Niall would be happy. He would do whatever it takes to never hurt his boyfriend again. 

Soon all the boys woke up. Niall sat up and had the littlest smile flash across his face. “You stayed” Niall beamed.

“I told you we will never leave you” Louis reminded him. 

“So what now?” Niall asked.

“We earn back your trust and forgiveness” Liam said. The others nodded their head in agreement.

“I might not be able to see you every day like we used to, but I am still very much apart of this relationship and will work just as hard for you to love me again” Zayn added.

Niall questioned, “Who ever said I stopped loving you? I still love you guys very much, I’m just a little mad and upset that’s all.”

The four boys sighed in relief, knowing Niall still loved them. “You guys are idiots by the way” Niall said. “I mean all of this could have been avoided if you just told me in the first place. But nooo you just had to make things difficult.”

“You can say that again” Harry agreed, nuzzling his head against Niall’s chest. 

“Hey Niall guess what?” Louis said.

“What?”

“You’re beautiful” Louis responded, with a huge smile on his face.

“Shut up. My hair's a mess and my eyes are bloodshot from all the crying. I look horrible” Niall said disagreeing. 

“You’re wrong” Louis objected. “You always looks beautiful.” This earned a small smile from Niall. It a start on the long path to forgiveness. 

That day One Direction checked out of the hotel and flew back to England. They spent much of the break together. Eventually Zayn had to head home to work on his solo album and the other lads had to work on their fifth record. Even though Zayn was gone, he wasn’t gone from the relationship. He skyped and called the boys every night, and would visit whenever he could.

Niall slowly forgave the boys and began to trust them again. It was a slow recovery, but the lads weren’t going to give up. Some nights Niall would feel that the boys were keeping secrets from him and he would need comfort. The boys would happily remind Niall how much they loved him and how sorry they were for keeping such a secret from Niall. 

Eventually Niall forgave his boyfriends for everything, but it took time and effort. The lads knew to never pull a stunt like that ever again. They almost lost Niall and they they swore to never let that happen again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! How are you all doing? Long time no see. Well Spain was amazing but I know you guys don't really care. 
> 
> I plan to update fairly often but don't hold me to it. I won't be accepting prompts anymore. I just can't find the inspiration to write other people's idea. Sorry. 
> 
> Anyway I hope you liked the story. Don't forget to comment and vote.


	21. The Haunted Hotel

One Direction was in the middle of the On The Road Again Tour. Every night they were in a different city playing at a different gig. The boys were exhausted, sleeping on the bus began to wear them down. Well all the lads except Louis, he could sleep anywhere. The performances were full of less energy, since the lads were running on fumes. It was only a matter of time, before One Direction would collapse on stage from exhaustion. They needed to catch up on sleep, if they were going to finish the tour. Paul decided to let the One Direction boys sleep in a hotel for the week.

It would be much comforter than the bed on the tour bus. The beds wouldn’t be constantly moving and they could sleep in peace and quiet. One Direction would continually wake up all through the night to cars honking. Niall and Harry were ecstatic to finally sleep in a place that doesn't move constantly. Liam could finally go to the gym and get his workout in. He was craving a good workout. Zayn was happy to be able to draw in peace and quiet. He quickly learned on the tour that drawing on the bus was impossible. All the bumps and turns made his pictures come out horribly. And Louis didn’t really care where he slept, as long as he had a bed he was fine.

The hotel the lads would be staying at was old and relatively small. It only had six floors and was located very close to the stadium. The boys would be playing five nights in the same city, since the show sold out so quickly. They would get the weekend off to sleep and do whatever else they wanted.

Paul rented out the entire hotel, so the lads wouldn’t be disturbed. Each boy would be staying on a different floor to ensure their safety. Niall was staying on the sixth floor, Louis on the fifth, Zayn on the fourth, Harry on the third, and Liam on the second floor because that was where the gym was. Paul and the rest of the crew would occupy the bottom floor.

The tour buses pulled up to the hotel and Niall sighed in relief. He really wanted to take a long, steaming hot shower and relax. The owner of the building stood outside, waving everyone inside. “Come in” he greeted, a smile plastered on his face. Niall waved at the owner, but was ignored. The blonde saw his name tag said Peter.

Peter had dark brown skin like chocolate. He stood hunched over and sported a French mustache, that he continually twirled around his finger. The suit he was wearing looked like it belonged in Victorian England. An eye patch covered his left eye, and Peter’s hair was slicked back with way too much hair gel. His hair looked fake and plastic kinda like a doll’s hair. Peter looked like a James Bond villain. 

Peter seemed to be waiting for someone, his head kept darting around. But then Peter found the person he was searching for. A huge grin erupted on his face, when Zayn emerged from the bus. Niall giggled, figuring the hotel owner had a crush on Zayn.

The hotel owner scurried over to Zayn, a creepy smile on his face. He seduced Zayn saying, “excuse me sir, a-are you tired? Because you’ve been running through my mind all day long. My name’s Peter, but you can call me Mr. Malik.”

A look of pure horror spread across Zayn’s face. He didn’t know how to respond to the man, who was now trying to kiss his hand.

Liam decided to head over to the gym, after watching Peter attempt to serenade Zayn. Liam enjoyed watching Zayn suffer, so didn’t try to help his boyfriend. He gave Niall a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll come find you later” he promised, disappearing inside the hotel. Harry came out next carrying his and Niall’s bags.

“Harry, you do realize I can carry my stuff” Niall reminded, seeing his boyfriend struggling with the bags. The blonde crossed his arms and pouted his lip.

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I made you carry your bags” Harry huffed, getting a better hold of the luggage. “Besides it’s not even that heavy” he lied, through gritted teeth beginning to drop the bags. How much stuff did Niall pack?

Louis kissed the tour bus goodbye. “I’ll miss you buddy” he whispered, petting the bus. Him and the bus had a special connection.

“You’re creeping me out Louis” Zayn commented, seeing the boy hug the bus. He had finally escaped Peter, after reminding the owner that he needed to let the workers check into the hotel.

Louis gasped, “don’t listen to him. He’s just jealous of our love.”

Zayn shook his head, “I’m going inside. Don’t stay out here too long.” Zayn prayed he could make it to his room without being spotted by Peter.

Once Zayn left, Louis grabbed the rest of his belongings and headed into the hotel, since he no longer had an audience to hug the bus in front of. Louis only liked to be dramatic when others were watching. He really didn't want fans to see him passionately hugging a bus. He could see the rumors ‘Louis in love with the tour bus’. He wondered what the ship name would be between him and the bus.

The owner saw Zayn enter the hotel. He scrambled over the front desk and ran over to the boy. “Hello Zayn Malik” the man welcomed, sweat forming on his forehead. The eye patch began to slide down Peter’s face. “Do you want me to take your bags?” Zayn shook his head no and tried to walk around Peter. “I can show you up to your room and give you a tour of the bed” he offered, practically begged. He quickly pulled the eye patch back over his eye and followed Zayn.

“I’m good” Zayn responded, stepping into the elevator. He pushed the up button several times trying to get away from the crazy man.

Peter twisted his mustache sadly as he watched the elevator doors close. “Was I coming on too strong” Peter wondered to himself, his finger getting caught in his mustache. 

Harry carried Niall’s luggage to the lobby, before he dropped them on the ground. Harry wiped the sweat off of his forehead and stretched his hands. Niall’s luggage was too heavy for Harry. “Do you think you can manage to get your suitcase up to your room?” Harry questioned, knowing Niall wasn’t as strong as the other boys.

“I think I can manage” Niall replied, sending Harry a wink. Harry smiled and headed to the cafeteria. He was dying to have a smoothie and not carry anything else for the rest of the day. It was the time of the day where Harry would do no physical activity. 

Niall went over to Peter and requested, “can you show me up to my room?”

Peter sighed dramatically wishing it was Zayn, but helped the blonde. He removed the mustache that was wrapped around his pointer finger and walked around the front desk. The owner took Niall’s suitcase and led the Niall to the elevator. “How long have you owned the hotel?” Niall asked trying to start a conversation.

“This hotel has been in my family for 10 generations” Peter revealed, smiling at the memory. “My family pretty much live and die here.”

“Really?” Niall said, concern filling his voice.

Peter nodded his head “my grandpa died in his sleep on the sixth floor and so did my dad. Actually they died in the same room. I think it might be the room you are staying in” Peter laughed playfully hitting Niall’s arm. Niall sucked in his breath. “They are buried out back with my other relatives.”

“Am I really staying in the room where your dad and granddad died in” Niall shrived debating whether or not he should sleep in the bus.

“Yup” Peter answered, making the p pop.

An uncomfortable silence filled the elevator. “Is the hotel haunted?” Niall questioned, already regretting that he was staying on the top floor.

Peter shrugged, not really caring and stepped out of the elevator. It wasn’t his problem if the hotel was haunted. Niall’s room was to the left of the elevator. Peter gave Niall the key and turned to leave. Before he did, he whispered “if you see my dad tell him I say hi.”

Niall laughed awkwardly, but was freaking out on the inside. With shaky hands, he walked into the room. The bedroom was small, with only a single bed and a bathroom. Hopefully Peter was kidding about the whole his dad died in the room thing.

Turning on the shower, Niall quickly forgot about what Peter said. The warm water relaxed the blonde and made him very sleepy. Niall guessed he probably would go to bed after dinner.

Getting out of the shower, Niall threw on a towel and went over to his luggage. He put on a pair of sweatpants and a baggy shirt. He wanted to be comfy not cute. He shut his suitcase and waited on the bed for the lads to come get him. Niall almost dozed off, but was woken up by a knocking on the door. Liam and Harry stood outside the blonde’s door to take him to dinner.

Zayn arrived to dinner first and waited around awkwardly for his boyfriends. He wasn’t sure where to sit. Feeling a presence behind him, Zayn assumed it was one of the lads. Smiling, Zayn turned around to come face to face with Peter. The smile went away, being replaced with a frown. The owner pulled out a chair for Zayn and said, “here you go, Zayn. The second finest seat in the house.”

The boy gave an uncomfortable smile and sat down in the chair. Where were the others, he wondered. Someone needed to save him from the hotel owner. Peter leaned in closer to Zayn and put his lips against the lad’s ear. Peter whispered sexily or at least tried, “the best seat is in my heart.”

Louis appeared in the cafeteria a couple seconds later, prompting Peter to walk away, but not before sending Zayn a wink. Zayn groaned loudly and smacked his head on the table. “I hate my life” he proclaimed, as Louis took a seat next to him. Louis had a smug look on his face, clearly enjoying his boyfriend’s pain.

Niall, Liam, and Harry walked down to the cafeteria, where Zayn and Louis were waiting for them. They sat down in the open chairs around Zayn and Louis. Harry sat down next to Zayn, while Niall sat in the middle of Harry and Liam. “I can’t wait to get a good night's sleep” Harry yawned, leaning against Zayn.

“I miss the bus” Louis cried, trying to make his boyfriends laugh. The lads though, were too sleepy to respond. They all needed a good night's sleep. Louis huffed crossing his arms, angry that his boyfriends didn’t laugh at him.

The boys ate in silence, happy to be in each other’s company. Sure they would have liked to share a room together, but all the beds at this hotel were single. Or at least that was what the hotel owner told them. He probably didn’t want the lads to sleep together because that would Zayn was taken. They also see each other every single day, so being a couple hours apart wasn’t that horrible.

Zayn looked up from his dinner and saw Peter staring at him from across the room. Peter gasped and tried to hide behind the fake plant. He hoped Zayn didn’t catch him staring. “Is anyone else getting creeped out from the hotel owner?” Zayn questioned, watching Peter leave the room.

“Not really” Liam replied, shoving another bite of food into his mouth.

“I think he might have a crush on you” Niall laughed, noticing Peter was now behind the plant again watching Zayn.

Louis hugged Zayn protectively, “too bad Peter can’t have him. Zayn is all ours.”

“Agreed” Harry said, looking over at his boyfriend. Zayn blushed at the compliment. The lads heard Peter growl angrily and storm out of the cafeteria. 

When dinner was done the boys said their good nights. They would be seeing each other in the morning for rehearsal. It would mostly be microphone checks to make sure the sound system was working.

Niall walked to his room and closed his door. He gasped when he saw his bed. Clothes were everywhere. His suitcase was open and thrown off the bed. Niall’s heart raced, as he picked up his clothes. He turned on all the lights in his room, and hid under his covers.

“Maybe it was just the wind” Niall muttered to himself. “Maybe I put my suitcase too far at the edge of the bed. Yea that must be it” Niall whispered, convincing himself there were no ghosts. He soon fell asleep.

The next morning Niall awoke to all the drawers in his room open. Once again, his suitcase was open and his clothes were sprawled out all over the floor.

Niall quickly picked up his items and shut the drawers. He was freaked out of just wanted to get escape his room.

He ran into the lobby and went straight out the front door, not saying anything to the lads. “Someone is excited for rehearsal” Harry commented, when he saw the blonde. Niall hopped in the car, beeping the horn at the others.

“Have a good sleep?” Liam asked, climbing into the car next to Niall.

“Yea” Niall answered too quickly for Liam’s liking. “Maybe I could sleep with you tonight?”

“Niall you know there is no room for you. The bed could barely fit me on it. It’s only for a week and then we can be together on the bus.”

“You’re right” Niall sighed sadly. He just really didn’t want to be in his room alone tonight.

Rehearsal went great. The lads hit all their marks and performed each song amazingly. The sound system seemed to be in order. They were ready for the concert tomorrow.

Harry begged to go out to eat a healthy organic restaurant nearby. Much to Louis’s dismay and annoyance, they decided to go to the place. “There’s nothing to eat” Louis complained, looking over the menu. “It’s all healthy stuff.” 

“Just try it. Maybe you might end up liking it” Zayn suggested, growing tired of Louis’s constant complaining.

Louis rolled his eyes “as if.” Niall ended up ordering a salad. Sure this restaurant wasn’t his cup of tea, but he loved seeing Harry so happy. Harry was in heaven with all the healthy choices. 

Liam got a weird tofu dish and Zayn wasn’t even sure what he ordered. Neither boys had much to eat. Whenever Harry looked at the boys they would pretend to love the meal. The second he would turn away Liam and Zayn would gag and throw the food in the plant next to them.

Louis ended up loving his meal. “I knew you would like it” Harry showed off, sticking out his tongue.

“Shut up” Louis groaned, putting more food in his mouth. Niall smiled, watching his boyfriends bicker like children.

Harry ordered food to take back to the hotel, since the cafeteria didn’t have enough healthy choices for his liking.

Liam paid the bill for the meal, after much arguing from the boys. Each of them wanted to pay. “Calm down boys we are all super rich. It doesn’t matter” Liam defended, giving his credit card,

“It does matter” Harry whined, crossing his arms. Liam kissed Harry’s nose and instantly Harry relaxed. All the anger drained out of him.

They walked hand in hand back to the car. Zayn pulled aside and Niall and whispered “distract Harry when we get back to the hotel. Liam and I need to sneak down to the cafeteria to get some food.”

“Okay” Niall giggled, playfully pushing Zayn. “But what’s in it for me.”

“I will love you forever.”

“But you already do Zayn.”

“Oh yea” Zayn joked, “I totally forgot.” Niall laughed and shook his head. “Please Niall” Zayn begged, his stomach beginning to growl.

“Fine I will” Niall promised, getting a kiss from Zayn.

When the car pulled up to the hotel, Niall tried to think of a way to distract Harry. He grinned evilly to himself, when he came up with the perfect plan. Harry was happily drinking his smoothie, when Niall grabbed it from him. “Give it back” Harry yelled, getting out of the car.

“Or else what?” Niall taunted, pretending to almost drop the drink.

“Niall just give me my smoothie before anyone gets hurt” Harry pleaded, taking a step toward the blonde.

“Catch me” Niall said, before taking off running into the hotel. Harry chased after Niall, but soon realized he couldn’t run in his brown boots. He quickly threw off the boots and ran after Niall in his socks.

Zayn and Liam took this opportunity to get some real food. “Where are you going?” Louis questioned, watching his boyfriends sneak off.

“To get some food” Zayn replied. Louis laughed at his boyfriends, debating on whether or not he should rat them out.

A wave of tiredness hit Louis and he decided to just head up to his room and sleep. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow” Louis yawned. 

Harry eventually caught Niall and tackled him to the ground. Both boys were out of breath and laughing like crazy. Harry laid his head on top of Niall’s chest, trying to catch his breath. “I love you” Harry gawked, staring into Niall’s eyes.

Niall smiled, loosening his grip on the smoothie. Harry took this opportunity to take his drink and dart away from Niall. “No fair” Niall called out, watching the curly haired boy run away. Harry stuck his tongue out, disappearing down a hallway.

Zayn and Liam came back from the cafeteria, holding piles of food. They had made sure to come out after Harry went upstairs to his room. Liam joked, “remind me to never let Harry pick a restaurant again.” 

Zayn laughed going towards the elevator. Peter emerged from god knows where and swaggered toward Zayn. The man, though wasn’t wearing any pants, just boxers with hearts on them. In the center of each of the hearts was a picture of Zayn’s face. Zayn gave him a puzzled look and began to repeatedly hit the elevator button.

“I seem to have lost my pants” Peter observed, looking down at his legs which were very hairy. Peter could pass as a werewolf from one those old horror films. “Mind if I get in yours?” he asked, raising his eyebrows at Zayn.

Liam could be heard cracking up from across the lobby. Zayn shot Liam a glare and felt a wave of relief when the elevator doors opened. Peter waited for Zayn’s response, but the boy never answered. Peter sighed sadly, but decided to step up his game, if he was going to impress the model perfect Zayn.

Niall walked into his room to see the lamp broken on the ground, his clothes everywhere, and his suitcase torn open. “I can’t sleep here” he panicked, calling the main lobby.

“Hello this is Mr. Malik, how may I help you?” Peter said into the phone.

“Can I have a new room?” Niall requested. “I think the one I am in is haunted.”

“That’s so cool bro. Well tell the ghosts I say hola” Peter laughed, starting to hang up the phone.

“Wait” Niall pleaded “can I have a new room?”

“No can do. That would mean I would have to walk upstairs and unlock another room. Sorry Niall but it’s too much effort.” And then the line went dead.

Niall screamed in frustration and slammed the phone back on the stand. “Asshole” he mumbled to himself.

Climbing into bed, Niall tried his best to fall asleep. He would fix the problem in the morning. All he needed was to survive one more night. How hard could that be?

Niall woke up a couple hours to the covers being pulled off of his feet. He yelled out in fear and turned on the lights in the room. “Leave me alone” he begged to the ghost, “I swear I will be gone tomorrow.”

Silence was the only response he received. Niall tried to fall back asleep, but then he heard the footsteps. Something was walking around his bed. Niall was terrified. He couldn’t get off the bed knowing the ghost was walking around. There was no where he could go to hide. Niall was trapped in the pitch black room. He buried himself under the covers, hoping it would protect him.

He quickly shot his hand out from under the covers and grabbed his phone. Maybe the labs could save him. No ghost would ever in their right mind mess with Liam.  
Niall called Liam, but it went straight to voicemail. Niall knew better than to wake Zayn up from his beauty sleep, so he skipped calling him. Harry didn’t pick up and that only left Louis.

The phone rang and rang and Niall thought Louis wasn’t going to pick up. “Niall you better have a good reason for calling me at this ungodly hour” Louis scolded, still sounding half asleep.

“Louis please come save me” Niall begged, his voice cracking. “I’m so scared.”

A crying and terrified Niall woke Louis up from his slumber. “I’m coming up to your room right now. Hold on Niall, I’m coming” Louis promised, running up the stairs the blonde’s room. Louis knew Niall was dead serious.

Louis was ready to fight anyone messing with his Niall. He might not be armed, but Louis was pretty good at handling his own in a fight. The bedroom door was unlocked, so Louis walked right in. “Niall where are you?” Louis yelled.

“In here” Niall responded, sounding so small and scared. The light in the room turned on as Louis walked in.

Louis saw Niall hidden under 4 layers of blankets. “What’s wrong?” Louis asked, his voice filled with concern. The joking side of Louis was gone, now replaced with the protective boyfriend side. “Did you have a nightmare?”

“No” Niall cried, from under the covers.

“I’m coming under the covers” Louis said, climbing on the bed. He went under the blankets and found Niall hugging his knees shaking. “Tell me what’s wrong” Louis pleaded, he wanted to help the blond.

“My room is haunted” Niall responded, his face showing he was completely serious.

Louis had to believe his boyfriend. Niall wouldn’t lie about something like this. Just as Louis was about to say something the lamp that was currently giving the room light got knocked over. It shattered onto the ground, causing both boys to jump. The room was now pitch black again. “They’re here” Niall whispered, beginning to shake again.

“Shit” Louis cursed, grabbing Niall’s hand. “Don’t worry I’m here. I won’t let it hurt us.” The two boys cuddled together, hearing the ghost pace around the room.

“Did you try calling the others?” Louis questioned. Niall nodded his head, he couldn’t form any words. Louis decided to try again, which meant continuing calling until one of them picked up. Louis forgot his phone, so he had to use Niall’s which was at 20 percent. They needed help to come soon.

After calling, Zayn 20 times he picked up. Zayn growled into the phone. “Help us” Louis screamed into the phone. “There is a ghost in Niall’s room and it’s trying to kill us.” The phone died before Louis could say anything else. He hoped Zayn got the message.

The two boys hugged each other not sure what to do. Suddenly they felt a weight on the bed. Louis shrieked his scream coming out high pitched and girly sounding. The mass came closer to the boys. Niall closed his eyes and hid his head against Louis’s chest. “I love you Niall” Louis confessed “if we die, I want you to know that I was the one who came up with the idea of messing with your car. I forced Liam to help me.”

“Asshole” Niall muttered into Louis’s shirt. His knight in shining armor was turning out to be a jackass. 

The ghost was right at their feet. The two boys screamed at the top of their lungs. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t protect you” Louis cried, wrapping his arms around Niall’s waist.

Zayn had grudgingly gotten out of bed. If this was all a joke, he was going to kill Louis. Zayn’s phone began to ring again and Zayn saw it was Liam. When he picked up the phone, Liam scolded, “why is everyone calling me. I just want to sleep.”

“Louis claimed him and Niall were dying” Zayn grumbled, rubbing his eyes. “I’m going upstairs to check on them.”

“Good” Liam sighed “I swear, I’m going to kill Louis tomorrow.”

“Same” Zayn groaned, entering the staircase. He slowly walked up the steps. When he got to the fifth floor, he heard screaming. He knew those screams of terror belonged to his boyfriends. “Shit” Zayn cursed, beginning to run up the stairs. “I think they really are in trouble Liam.”

“I’ll be right up” Liam promised, after hearing Louis and Niall through the phone. First Liam needed to wake up Harry.

Zayn barged into the room, the front door smacking against the wall. “Whoever is messing with my boyfriends you have two seconds to give up” Zayn threatened, cracking his knuckles. He charged into the bedroom, but was greeted with darkness and whimpers from his boyfriends.

The light from the hallway shined light into the room. He observed that both boys were huddled together under the blankets. “Are you okay?” Zayn asked, walking over to the bed.

Just before Louis could respond, Liam and Harry ran into the bedroom. “What the hell is happening?” Harry shouted, throwing his hands up in frustration. “Can someone please explain to me, why I am awake right now?” 

Liam answered, “Louis and Niall were in trouble.”

“I bet this was a prank” Harry seethed, “I bet they are laughing under the blanket.”

Harry took the cover and pulled it off the two boys. When the blanket left the bed, the three boys gasped. On the bed sat Niall and Louis who had dry tears on their face, shaking in each other’s arms.

Harry apologized and tried to console his boyfriends. “What’s wrong?” he asked, “please tell us so we can help you.”

Louis looked up as if realizing for the first time the lads were in the room. “We need to get out of here” Louis warned, his eyes darting around like crazy. “We have to get out here before it gets back.”

“Who is it?” Zayn whispered, beginning to get paranoid.

Niall shivered “the ghost.” Just as the words left Niall’s mouth the bedroom door slammed shut. Niall screamed and buried himself against Louis. The light was gone, making the room dark.

“He’s back” Louis cried “quickly get on the bed.”

Liam, Harry, and Zayn didn’t need to be told twice. They hopped onto the single bed with the goal of protecting their terrified boyfriends. “Go away ghost thing” Harry begged. “I’m sorry if we upset you. We will leave tomorrow. Please just let us go.”

A scratching on the walls made the lads jump. “I’m scared” Niall croaked, his voice coming out shaky.

“I’ll won’t let anything happen to you” Liam reassured, pulling Niall onto his lap.

The scratching stopped and the room was filled with an eerie silence. All that could be heard was the breathing from the five boys. “Something just touch my leg” Zayn shrieked, putting his whole body on the bed.

All the sudden movement knocked Harry to the floor. “Harry” Louis screamed “where are you?”

“It’s too late for me” Harry cried “leave me. Save yourselves.”

“Harold stop being dramatic and get your ass back on the bed” Liam ordered, his tone stern even though he was petrified.

Harry pushed himself up, but then yelled “it has my foot. Help me.”

Liam got off the bed and searched around in the darkness for Harry. He wasn’t losing any of the boys, not on his watch. “Zayn stop breathing on my neck” Niall requested.

“But I’m over here” Zayn answered on the other side of the bed. Niall screamed bloody murder and flung himself from the bed.

Niall accidentally pushed Louis off the bed. Louis rolled under the bed and saw a yellow pair of eyes staring at him. Louis shrieked and covered his eyes. “There are monsters under the bed” he yelled, being too scared to move away. “It’s gonna eat me!”

Niall ran around the room screaming not really knowing where he was going. Liam heard the blonde scream and then heard Niall run into the wall. Then the blonde went silent. Harry and Louis were now yelling at the top of their lungs.

Zayn and Liam didn’t know what to do, with three of their boyfriends were rendered helpless. “Everyone calm down” Liam barked, attempting to find a light switch. Then something jumped on Liam’s back. “The ghost has me” he hollered, falling to the floor.

Zayn was the only one left. He heard footsteps coming for him. Was this how One Direction ended? It would end at the hands of a ghost.

Just as the ghost was about to get Zayn, the room erupted in light. In the doorway, stood Paul and Peter. Liam looked over his shoulder to see what exactly was latched onto his back. On Liam’s back was a kitten, it purred against the boy.

Zayn looked at the ground and saw a cat walking towards him. Louis opened his eyes and came face to face with an all black kitten. Niall’s ghost had been a black and white cat. “What is happening? Why are you all screaming?” Paul questioned, looking at all the cats.

“We thought there were ghosts in the room” Liam answered, picking up the kitten and cuddling it against his chest.

“You guys are stupid” Paul said, shaking his head. “Go to bed you idiots. You have a concert in the morning.”

Paul left the room shaking his head. How could the boys be so dumb? He really needed to get a new job with normal people.

The eye patch that was once on Peter’s left eye was now on his right. “I always wondered where my kittens went” the man admitted, petting one of the animals.

“How do you lose cats?” Harry asked, disbelief written all over his face.

“Easily” he remarked “my cat likes to have a lot of sex, so I just lost track of her kids.”

Peter shuffled over to Zayn and whispered, “you know Zayn, you can’t spell your name without me.”

“Pretty sure I can” Zayn responded, moving away from the man.

Peter smiled, moving the eye patch to his other eye, “boy you are just driving me inZayn.”

Harry shook his head. “That was bad and I tell some pretty horrible puns.”

The lads all looked at Peter waiting for him to leave. Peter didn’t catch the hint and sat down on the floor making himself comfy. Liam cleared his throat, trying to get Peter’s attention.

“Can you leave?” Zayn requested.

“Anything for you babe” Peter winked, lifting up the eye patch. “Where you do you want to go?”

“I’m going to stay up here with my boyfriends and make sure they are okay.”

“Oh” Peter sighed sadly “I’ll just take the kittens then.” The man picked up the cats and took them down to the lobby.

Liam went over to Niall once Peter left. Niall was holding his head and grimacing in pain. The blonde was still a bit jumpy. “Are you okay?” Liam questioned making Niall move his hand.

Niall just had a small bump on his head. “Yea, I’m fine. It is just a bump.”

Liam smiled in relief and looked over the blonde again, double checking that he was okay. “I don’t want to be alone tonight” Niall confessed, averting his eyes from the other lads.

“Me either” Louis agreed “5 minutes ago, I thought I was going to die. I don’t want to sleep alone ever again.”

“You won’t have to” Harry informed “because I am never leaving you guys again.”

Niall smiled, feeling completely and utterly safe. He knew nothing could happen to him now that they lads were here. “Where are we going to sleep?” Niall questioned, seeing that the bed was a single.

“You and Louis will sleep on the bed” Liam answered, putting the blankets back on the bed. He quickly made the bed for his boyfriends.

“What about us” Zayn said, signaling to himself and Harry.

Liam replied “we will be on the floor.”

“Awesome” Zayn sighed “my back will be so happy in the morning.”

Liam grabbed some extra pillows and threw them on the ground. Harry got the couch cushions, while Zayn found some blankets. Being cuddled up next to Liam and Harry, Zayn stopped complaining.

Niall laid on Louis’s chest and looked up at his boyfriend. “Thank you for coming to save me” Niall yawned, his eyes beginning to droop.

“I will always come to your rescue Niall” Louis promised, running his hands through Niall’s hair. “Go to sleep babe, we have a busy day tomorrow.” 

“Hopefully no ghosts come” Niall sassed, sticking out his tongue. Louis chuckled, pulling Niall closer to his chest. The boys fell asleep cuddling against each other.

Zayn was very grumpy in the morning. Not only did his back hurt, but he received very little sleep. “I should have never slept on the floor” he groaned, rubbing his back.

Liam and Harry slept fine. Sure they were a little stiff, but being with the others made it worth the pain. “What would we have done if it was an actual ghost?” Harry asked, watching Niall and Louis sleep peacefully on the bed.

“I would have gotten you guys out of the room, even if it killed me” Liam answered, his tone dead serious. He would die for his boyfriends.

“They look so peaceful” Harry commented.

Liam nodded his head, “as opposed to last night then yes. I never want to see them that terrified again.”

“Me either” Zayn agreed, sitting up which made his back crack. “I might complain about sleeping on the floor, but I would do it again if it meant Niall and Louis were happy.”

“You guys don’t know how scared I was last night” Zayn continued “when I heard them screaming. I thought they were being murdered. I don’t know what I would do without you lads and last night was just really scary.”

Liam and Harry hummed in agreement. The three boys stood around for a couple moments, watching over their boyfriends. “Shall we wake them?” Liam questioned.

“I guess” Harry sighed, gently shaking Niall. “Wake up babes” he whispered.

Niall swatted Harry away and hid his head against Louis. “Go away” Louis muttered, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Get up” Liam said, “we have a concert tonight.”

Louis opened his eyes and glared at Liam. “Fine” he huffed, leaning up. The sudden movement woke up Niall.

Paul checked the boys out of the hotel that day. One Direction would much rather sleep on the tour bus, then the creepy hotel. Besides Zayn also wanted to escape from Peter.

Peter stood in the lobby, holding his kittens. He tried to get the crew members to take them, but no one would. “Hide me” Zayn whispered, when the lads entered the lobby. 

“What did you say Zayn?” Louis screamed at the top of his lungs.

Hearing the name Zayn, Peter looked over and saw the boy. Zayn sent Louis a death glare “next time I’ll let the ghosts get you.”

Louis winked at Zayn and headed to the bus with Niall. Peter grinned at Zayn, he now had eye patches on both of his eyes. Zayn wondered how the man could see, but he didn't want to ask. The man said seductively, “if you ever need anything, just kiss me.”

“Why me?” Zayn professed, looking up at the sky. “All I wanted was one normal day.”

Harry took his left over organic food to the bus and offered it to the lads. Liam said no, trying to stop himself from gagging. Niall looked out of the tour bus window at the kittens. “Can we adopt the kittens?” Niall pleaded, giving the lads his best puppy dog face.

Liam was about to say no when he saw Niall’s pouty lip. How could he say no to a face like that. “Okay, but we need to ask Peter first” Liam answered.

“I’ll get Zayn to do it, since Peter likes him so much” Niall beamed, running over to Zayn who had just escaped from the crazy hotel owner.

Zayn hadn’t even taken one step onto the bus when he was stopped. “Zayn can you go ask Peter if we can adopt his cats?” Niall requested, pulling the puppy dog face again.

“Why me” Zayn whined. He just couldn’t catch a break.

“Because Peter likes you the best” Louis sassed “now go be a good boyfriend and get Niall those kittens.”

Zayn muttered curses under his breath, as he made his way towards Peter. The owner smiled and asked, “miss me already?” Sighing Zayn shook his head no. “You know I can help you hit those high notes” the man offered, making his eyebrows go up and down.

“Just stop” Zayn begged.

“Anything for you” Peter responded, trying to kiss Zayn’s hand. Zayn though moved his hand, causing Peter to fall face first towards the ground.

“How can you even see out of the eye patches?” Zayn questioned.

Peter smirked darkly showing off his creepy smile, “I can smell your beauty.”

Taking a deep breath to hide his annoyance, Zayn asked “can the lads and I adopt your kittens?”

“Really” Peter exclaimed, getting up from the ground. He really wanted to get rid of the cats.

“What is your price?”

Peter smirked, “a kiss from you.”

“Ew” Zayn gagged “you can’t be serious.”

Peter frowned “looks like the kittens are mine then.”

“But you were just trying to give them away for free.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Fine” Zayn huffed “but I will only kiss you on the cheek.”

Peter jumped up and down filled with excitement. After composing himself, he leaned over and allowed Zayn to kiss his cheek. “My life is complete now. Thank you Zayn” Peter gushed, attempting to hug the boy.

Zayn pushed past Peter and grabbed the kittens. He really wanted to leave the hotel, before anything else happened. “I’ll never wash my cheek again” Peter called out, waving goodbye.

Zayn didn’t say anything, he just climbed onto the bus. He pleaded “can we leave now?”. Liam nodded his head and the buses drove over to the stadium.

“Thank you Zayn” Niall beamed, kissing Zayn on the lips.

“Anything for you” Zayn smiled, knowing his pain and suffering made Niall happy. As long as the blonde was happy, Zayn was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On another note sorry for not updating in a while. I have been super busy, not only have I started my first year of college but I also joined marching band. I have little to no free time. I promise to try and update monthly or at least try :)   
> How is school going for you guys?  
> Do any college kids read my stories?  
> What do you think of One Direction's song infinity? I personally listen to it at least 5 times a day. Have a good day my loves!


	22. Flight 29 Down

Liam sat up, surprised to find himself on a beach. Last thing he remembered was being on the private jet, flying to the next concert. A loud sound made him snap his head behind him. There sat the plane on the beach covered in flames. Panic filled Liam, as he realized he didn’t know where the others were. 

“Niall, Harry, Louis, Zayn!! Where are you?” he screamed, staring at the jet in horror. He attempted to get up, but soon learned his leg was broken. He fell back against the sand, feeling, completely helpless. Where were the other boys?

Out of the treeline, came a worried looking Louis. He ran over to his injured boyfriend. “Liam” he called out, sitting down next to the boy. “Are you okay?”

“Where are the others?” Liam asked, not caring about himself. “Do you know what happened?”

Louis shrugged and helped his boyfriend sit up. “I just woke up” he explained. “I heard you yelling and came over. I have no idea where everyone else is.”

On Louis’s head was a large gash, but the cut didn’t seem that deep. If he could have walk around, he must be fine. Or at least Liam hoped his boyfriend was alright. 

Liam glanced over at the plane, signaling for Louis to check. He quickly told “I have a broken leg.” Louis got the message and walked cautiously over to the jet. The flames burned, leaving the air around the plane hot. Louis could only see red. The whole plane was on fire. “I couldn’t see anything” he reported to Liam. 

The two boys observed, how the jet was missing the back side of it. They wondered where the back of the plane went. 

“We need to find the others” Liam ordered, trying to sit up.

“You are in no condition to walk” Louis disagreed, pushing Liam back onto the sand.

Liam whined “we have to find them. I can’t just sit here, while our boyfriend's could be dying on the ground somewhere.”

“I’m scared too Liam, but you can’t walk and I don’t want to leave you” Louis explained, running his hand through his hair nervously.

Sighing, Liam replied “look for the others without me. It’s not like I can go anywhere.” At first Louis wasn’t thrilled with the plan, but after much convincing from Liam, he finally agreed. Louis rested the injured boy against a tree, and promised to come back in an hour or so to check on him. 

The first place Louis checked was the area around the plane. As he walked, the boy tried to remember what had happened. The last thing he could recall was the pilot telling the lads to buckle their seatbelts, because they were going to hit some turbulence. Zayn and Niall were asleep leaning against each other and Louis was pretty sure Harry was laying down against three seats in the back of the plane. Walking along the beach, Louis saw a familiar curly haired boy, lying unconscious on the ground. “Harry” Louis yelled, running towards the boy.

Harry quickly sat up, when he heard his name. His eyes met Louis’s almost immediately. He got up and charged at his boyfriend. They embraced each other, happy they were both alive. “Are you hurt?” Louis questioned, looking over the boy.

“No” Harry answered. He had small scratches and bruises, but nothing life threatening. “Did you find anyone else?”

Louis nodded his head. “I found Liam.” He led Harry back to the injured lad, and left him there, while he went out to search for the others. “Take care of him” Louis told Harry, before he left.

“As long as you promise to find Niall and Zayn” Harry replied.

“Looks like we have ourselves a deal, because I won’t come back without them” Louis promised, giving Harry and Liam a quick kiss on the forehead.

After searching the whole beach, Louis came back empty handed. Looks like it was time to check the forest. The trees were thick and dense, and Louis quickly got lost. He lost count of the number of times he tripped over tree roots.

In the distance, Louis heard yelling. He took off running towards the sound, recognizing the voice belonged to Zayn. “Hello” Zayn screamed, cupping his hand around his mouth. “Can anyone here me?”

“Zayn” Louis called out, getting closer to his boyfriend.

“Louis” Zayn yelled, when he heard the boy. From the top of a hill, Zayn appeared. A smile formed on his face, when he saw Louis. They ran towards each other relief filling them. 

Louis filled Zayn in on the situation, and the two boys set out to find Niall. They searched the jungle for what felt like hours. It was beginning to get dark, when Zayn and Louis began to freak out. “Where is he?” Zayn cried, spinning around hoping the blond would appear.

“Niall” Louis screamed into the jungle, praying for a reply. No one though, replied to Louis’s frantic calls. “I’m scared” he admitted “what if Niall never made it off the plane.”

“Did you check it?” Zayn asked.

“Yes, but it was on fire so I couldn’t see anything. What if he’s dead.” By the end of his statement, Louis broke out in tears.

“Hey” Zayn said, softly wiping away Louis’s tears. “Niall will be fine. He is probably sitting under a tree, eating right now. Let’s just say positive.” 

When the sun began to set, Louis and Zayn had to make a choice. It was either stay in the woods and search for the blond, or go back to Liam and Harry and wait till morning to continue the search. 

“I won’t go back to camp without Niall” Louis declared to his boyfriend.

Zayn groaned “how are you supposed to look for Niall when it's pitch black? You will get lost, or end up hurting yourself.”

“But Niall could be going through the same thing. I won’t let him spend the night alone out here” Louis worried, pacing back and forth.

As much as Zayn wanted to disagree, he couldn’t. He physically could not leave Niall out in the jungle. “Fine, but we should tell the others” he finally said, not wanting Liam and Harry to worry.

They set off quickly, not wanting to waste time. They both knew Liam would disagree with their actions, but neither one cared. Both lads needed to know Niall was okay, and would not be able to rest until they found out. Louis would search the whole island if it meant finding Niall.

Walking to Harry and Liam, the two boys heard their names being called. The Irish voice filled their ears, making them turn around. “Zayn, Louis over here” Niall shouted from on top of a tree.

The two lads ran to the blond, overfilled with joy. They were relieved to find he was alive and well. Stopping at the base of the tree, Louis asked “how did you get up there?”

“More like why did you go up there?” Zayn added, watching the blond climb down.

Once he reached the bottom, Niall was pulled in for a hug and kiss from both boys. “I climbed to the top of the tree to try and find you guys. I was so scared you were hurt” Niall answered, his voice muffled from being embraced by Louis. “Did you find Harry and Liam?”

“Yes” Zayn responded, intertwining him and Niall’s finger. “You were the only one left to find.”

Niall smiled and allowed his boyfriend's to lead the way. The walk back the three boys tried to piece together what had happened. Niall woke on the beach far from the plane and went into the woods to look for some water. Zayn landed far from the plane as well, and somehow ended up in the jungle. 

“I think the wing caught on fire” Niall guessed, trying to remember what had happened on the airplane. He could have sworn he saw the right wing on fire when they were in the air. 

When the three arrived to where the others were, Liam was bouncing up and down with happiness. His boyfriend's were alright, and he couldn’t have been happier. Harry ran over and hugged Zayn and Niall, yelling at them for giving him such a fright.

“What do you think happened to the pilot?” Harry asked with a frown.

All heads turned toward the jet where they guessed the man was. They guessed the fires probably claimed his life. “He died a hero, getting us to this island.”

The others agreed, and had a moment of silence for the dead pilot. 

After the moment of silence, they sat down around Liam and began to assess each other for injuries. They were lucky to be alive, and that the worst injury was a broken leg. 

All their phones were broken, and no one could guess their location. The plane had been flying over the atlantic ocean when they crashed. They had no idea how far they were from the nearest place of civilization.

Harry attempted to splint the injured boy’s leg with two large sticks. He used part of his shirt and Louis’s to tie two large sticks around the leg. It wasn’t perfect because Harry was basing the splint off of what he saw in films, but it would have to do. 

While Harry tended to Liam, Louis and Zayn went to find food. Niall gathered firewood and started a fire. Instead of rubbing two sticks together, he used fire from the already burning plane.

The lads surrounded the fire, trying to get some warmth. It provided much needed light so Harry could tend to his boyfriend more easily. Zayn and Louis came back with fruit they found in the trees. Each carried a handful of a weird purple fruit and bananas. “What are those?” Liam questioned, staring at the mysterious fruit.

“I don’t know” Zayn shrugged “but it’s food.” He proceed to take a bite of it and smiled when the taste hit him. “This actually tastes pretty good” he said, eating another bite. 

Louis, Harry, and Niall each began to eat the strange fruit, while Liam played it safe and picked the banana. By the end of the dinner, the boys except for Liam had eaten all of the mystery food. Liam on the other hand had filled up on bananas. 

After dinner, the lads decided to go to bed. They would worry about getting rescued tomorrow. They knew they could face anything, now that they had each other. The sand was uncomfy, but it was better than sleeping in the forest. Harry and Niall had laid down leaves on the sand, to prevent the lads from getting super sandy. Liam laid in the middle of the pile, surrounded protectively by his boyfriends.

In the morning, Liam woke up alone and slightly confused. Where had his boyfriends gone? He sat up a little too quickly and pain filled his body. Glancing around, Liam caught sight of Harry who was butt naked with a leaf covering his manhood. 

“Harry, where are you clothes?” he asked in amusement. The boy crawled over to Liam, and began to beat his chest.

He stopped in front of the injured boy and sniffed him. “My name is Tarzarry” he introduced “and who are you?”

“Harry, this isn’t funny” Liam frowned, watching his boyfriend scratch his head with his foot. “Did you really combine your name and tarzan's?” Harry never responded, as he scurried off when a twig snapped in the distance. The boy crawled off into the jungle, before Liam could stop him. 

Louis came out of the woods, carrying a bottle of water. He took a huge sip of it, moaning in pleasure when the cool water hit him. Liam licked his lips watching his boyfriend, he hadn’t realized how thirsty he was. “Hey Louis, can I have some water?” Liam pleaded, his throat feeling scratchy and dry.

“No” Louis shot back. “Get your own.” He proceed to chug down the rest of the water, and throw the empty carton at Liam.

Liam growled “have you forgotten my leg is broken and I can’t get up.”

“Not my problem” he responded, sitting down in the shade, leaving Liam in the sun. 

Liam glared at Louis, waiting for him to stop joking around. It never happened though, which frustrated Liam to no end. Finally after composing himself he asked “where are the others?”

“Don’t know, don’t care” he answered, crossing his arms. Liam’s mouth fell open, he knew Louis would never say something like that. Something was wrong.

Niall came out of the jungle next, carrying a huge pile of sticks. “Oh thank god. Niall, I was worried” Liam smiled, knowing the blond would help him. “Can I please have some water?” 

Dropping the sticks, Niall went over to Liam. He gave the boy two bottles, one was empty and the other full. “Drink this” he ordered, knowing how thirsty Liam was.

“What about the empty one?” Liam question, staring confusing at it.

Niall gave Liam a dumb look and explained “you pee it in ands then drink it.”

“No” Liam shrieked, throwing the empty bottle. 

Rolling his eyes, Niall picked up the empty bottle and placed it back next to Liam. He went back to his sticks and began to place them in the sand. Curiosity got the better of Liam, and he questioned “what are you doing?”

“I’m building us a home” he responded, tying vines around the sticks. Liam wanted to burst out laughing. Niall wasn’t a survival expert, he could barely survive one hour without his phone. Throwing a stick over to the injured boy, Niall encouraged him to eat it. “It provides good protein” he promised, taking a bite of the stick.

“I think, I’ll just stick with the bananas” Liam said in horror, watching the blond swallow the stick. 

“You’re loss” Niall shrugged, finishing off the piece of wood. 

Louis was fast asleep in the shade, ignoring the conversation between Niall and Liam. The injured boy had Niall move him to the shade, to save him from getting sunburnt. 

Zayn came out of the jungle with a gloom look on his face. He sat in Liam’s old spot and began digging a hole. “What are you doing?” Liam questioned, afraid to know the answer. He was praying Zayn wouldn’t be crazy like the other three.

Zayn sighed “I’m digging our graves.” Liam nodded his head, not sure how to respond. “Where do you want to be buried? I was thinking we go in age order, but do you have any suggestions?”

“That sounds good” Liam squeaked, looking away from Zayn. The blond boy was still attempting to build a house, but it was not working out. He was trying to be an ultimate survivor, but Niall wasn’t like the people on TV. He only went camping once, and couldn’t even put up the tent by himself. “Hey Niall, why don’t you take a break and come sit in the shade” Liam suggested, seeing the blond covered in sweat. 

“No” Niall panted “I can’t rest until the house is built. It will be a two story home with a master bedroom and a bathroom. Maybe we will even have a kitchen and a dining room.”

“And you plan on doing this with just sticks?”

“Yup” Niall grinned, going back to his work. 

“Oh my god, he’s delirious” Liam muttered to himself. They all were. 

From the trees, Liam spotted Harry or Tarzarry swinging from the vines like a money. The boy kept repeatedly beating his chest with his fists. Liam tried to get Harry’s attention, but the boy was too far in his own world to realize. As long as Liam could see Harry, then he wasn’t super worried.

Niall stood up suddenly, looking up at the sky and gasped “it’s a giant mushroom.” He laid down in the sand and did the worm to the giant mushroom. “Friendly mushroom” he exclaimed, staring at nothing. He continued to bow down at the plant, yelling more phrases about the giant mushroom. Liam was at a loss of words.

“There’s nothing there” he reminded the blond, who was still praising the mushroom. Niall ignored his boyfriend and continued to bow.

Zayn stared off in the ocean, and asked “can you see that?” He pointed to nothing, so Liam shook his head no. “How can you not see the hotel?”

“Zayn, you’re imagining things” Liam said, hoping the boy would believe him.

“I see someone” Zayn continued. “He’s coming over here. Quick we need to hide.” Zayn threw sand over his face, claiming he was invisible. 

Out of the imaginary hotel walked a man, with eye patches over both eyes and his right ear. “Hello Zayn” he greeted, extending his hand. “I am Peter Malik. Would you like to come to my hotel? I can give you a tour of the master bedroom. I know the bed especially well.”

“Why do you eye patches over your eyes?” Zayn asked, giving the man a confused glance. 

Liam watched in horror as Zayn talked to nothing. 

Meanwhile Zayn imagined Peter smiling and replying “your beauty has blinded me.”

Turning to Liam, Zayn said “we should go back to the hotel with Peter. I would love to have some air conditioning right now.”

“Maybe we should ask the others first” Liam suggested.

Nodding his head, Zayn faced Peter and explained “we have to talk to the others first.”

“As you wish” Peter frowned, and disappeared back into the hotel.

Louis finally woke up, after sleeping for half the day. He stretched his arms, as he sat up. “I’m thirsty” he whined. “Liam, go get me some water” he ordered, holding out the empty bottle.

“My leg is broken” Liam yelled in Louis’s face.

“Not my fault, now be useful and get me some water” Louis shrugged, laying back down.

Zayn offered to get the water, but Liam didn’t want him to go off on his own. No one will be there to stop him from going towards the hotel. At this point, Niall had stopped praising the mushroom. “I’ll go with Zayn” Niall offered, brushing the sand off of himself. “Besides, I think I need to take a break from the house. It is almost done.” 

“Bring back Harry” Liam called out, before the two boys left.

Liam and Louis stared at each other in silence. Rolling his eyes, Louis laid back in the sand completely ignoring his boyfriend.

Walking through the woods, the two boys came across the stream. Zayn filled up the water bottles, but kept glancing around him. “What’s wrong?” Niall questioned, after observing his boyfriend.

“I’m being followed by a man named Peter” Zayn answered, filling up the last bottle.

Just as Niall was about to reply, Tarzarry fell from the tree in front of them. “Harry” Niall exclaimed, going over to the boy. “We were just looking for you.”

“Me is Tarzarry” he grunted, speaking improper english.

“Whatever you say” Niall smiled, taking hold of the boy’s hand. “Hey Zayn, grab some more fruit for dinner” the blond suggested, as they walked away from the stream.

Dinner consisted of the purple fruit and bananas once again. Liam only ate the yellow fruit, growing suspicious of the purple one. “Tomorrow, I will finish the house” Niall declared, after finishing his dinner. Tarzarry beat his chest in reply, and crawled around in a circle.

Louis stayed in his little corner the whole night, making snarky comments here and there. He continually stole fruit from Liam, because he was too lazy to get his own, while Zayn talked to an imaginary man the whole night.

They eventually all fell asleep, and Liam hoped everyone would be fine in the morning. Sadly, Liam woke up to complete and utter chaos. 

Tarzarry was screaming at the top of his lungs, and making monkey noises. It seemed as though he could no longer speak any english. All he could do was grunt and growl. 

Niall had somehow gotten an Australian accent overnight. He believed he was on a reality show about surviving in the wilderness. “Hi, I’m Niall Horan” he greeted into the imaginary camera “and I am going to win the survivor competition.” 

Louis rocked back and forth at the same spot from last night. An evil smile spread across his face, when him and Liam locked eyes. “I have done a lot of thinking” he proclaimed, standing up. “I am leaving the group to become a super villain. I will destroy the world, and everyone you love” he yelled, disappearing into the jungle. Before he fully submerged himself in the trees, he let loose an evil laugh and rubbed his hands together like movie villains do. All he needed was a cat, and he would be a stereotypical bad guy. 

Zayn on the other hand, looked perfectly normal. That was until he opened his mouth. “Liam” he said, going over to the injured boy. “I want you to meet my husband Peter.” Zayn waited for Liam to wave, but he never did. 

“How long have you been married?” Liam asked, wishing he could go back to sleep.

“About 7 years” he answered, smiling to the invisible man beside him. If Liam had water in his mouth, he would have spit it out. “I am going back to the hotel we live in. We should totally come stay there. But once you check in you can never leave.” With that Zayn walked away, starting up a conversation with his husband. 

Concern filled Liam as he watched his boyfriends. He needed to fix this, he just didn’t know how. First thing first, Liam had to eat something because his stomach was growling like crazy. “Niall” he called out “can you get me some bananas and a water?”

“No” the blond spat, with his australian accent. “We are competitors now. I want the grand prize.” 

Liam had to think quickly, if he was going to convince Niall to help him. “Don't you remember, they changed the rules last night” he quickly responded, thinking on the spot. “The competition is now teams, and me and you are a team.”

Recognition dawned on the blond’s face, as he took in Liam’s news. The boy instantly believed Liam and proclaimed “I don’t know how I forgot. Sit tight, I’ll go get you some food.” He exclaimed, running off into the jungle. 

At least Liam had Niall on his side. Now all that was left was figuring out what was making the lads act so crazy. 

Once the blond left, the injured boy soon realized he was all alone. It was peaceful for that short time, and Liam could almost imagine that everything was back to normal. 

An evil laughter snapped Liam out of his calming day dream. Out of the bushes appeared Louis, who had somehow made a cape out of leaves and twigs. “Well well well” he taunted, stalking forward. “Look who is all alone.”

From his right hand, Louis produced a pointy stick. Liam pretended to act scared, but he knew the stick wouldn’t hurt him. “Louis, what is wrong?” the injured boy questioned.

“My name is no longer Louis” he corrected. “I go by Doctor Professor Bad Guy the Third.”

“That is quite a name” Liam commented, holding back his laughter.

“My name drives fear into the hearts of all people who hear it.”

“I’m sure it does.”

An awkward silence fell between them. “So, why are you here?” Liam asked.

A creepy smile spread across Louis’s face as he answered “bad guys always meet with their arch nemesis before the big fight.”

“Wait, I’m your arch nemesis?” Liam yelled. The villain nodded his head yes, wiping his cape around dramatically. “Why can’t Harry, Zayn, or Niall be your enemy?”

“Because” Doctor Professor Bad Guy the Third huffed, acting like a 3 year old child. “You are the only sane one Liam and besides once I defeat you, I will move onto the others.”

“Boy, I am injured, so how am I supposed to fight back” Liam yelled, starting to get very frustrated. Louis rolled his eyes, not believing the injured lad. Just as the villain was going to respond, Niall emerged from the jungle.

The blond walked over to Liam and gave him a bottle of water. “So you have a sidekick” Louis gasped. “Maybe I will take him out first, so you can feel the pain you made me feel.”

“What pain?”

“You know what you did Liam. You took everything from me.”

“I’m so confused.”

“Don’t play dumb. You killed my entire family and now I am going to take yours.”

“Louis, your family is perfectly fine” Liam promised, but Louis wouldn’t listen.

The villain began to walk away, but turned back to warn Niall saying “you better watch your back.” And with then he backwards walked into the woods. The two lads heard a body hit the ground and assumed Louis had tripped over a root. 

Niall hummed quietly to himself as, he sat down next to Liam. “Who was that boy?” he asked, with his strong australian accent.

Liam was taken back by his boyfriend’s question. How could he not know who that was. They had been together for over 5 years. “That was Louis, he is our boyfriend” the injured boy answered, in a serious tone. 

Shaking his head no, Niall replied “I am straight, so there is no way we are together.” Liam thought he was going to pass out. The blond shrugged. “I think Louis is on the other team. He must be trying to beat us.” 

“Niall..”

The blond interrupted “my name isn’t Niall. It is Michael Clifford.”

“Oh god” the injured boy muttered, smacking himself in the head. He just couldn’t catch a break. “And you are a survival expert?” 

“Yup. I am Michael Clifford, the most active and intimidating person you will ever meet.” At this point Liam couldn't hold in his laughter anymore. The Michael he knew could sit on the couch all day and watch Spongebob. If there was one thing Michael sucked at, it was being active. Getting him off the couch was a daily struggle for 5 Seconds of Summer. “I’m going to go exploring” the blond declared. “Hold down the fort.”

“With what?”

The blond shrugged. “Defend yourself with the sand.” Liam got ready to respond with a snarky comment but Niall darted off.

Now that he was alone again, and needed to think of a plan to turn the boys back to normal. He assumed that is was the purple fruit that was messing with their heads. So all he needed to do was get the lads to stop eating it. The task was easier said than done, since Liam had no idea where Zayn, Harry, or Louis were. Or how to make them stop eating the fruit.

While in the shade, Liam attempted to move his leg which resulted in horrific pain all throughout his body. The pain became too much, and soon a scream left his mouth. When his leg calmed down, he was finally able to breathe. 

His loud noises had managed to attract the wild Harry. The boy was covered in dirt and grime. Harry’s once white teeth were now a dark brown, and his eyes were wild. “Come here Tarzarry” Liam soothed, trying to coax the boy to come over. 

The monkey boy cautiously crawled over, ready to dart away if anything spooked him. Liam pulled out a banana and held it in front of him. 

Harry grabbed the food and quickly consumed it. He moved close enough to Liam, where the injured lad could touch him.

Liam ended up petting Harry like he would with any other animal. Rolling onto his back, Tarzarry allowed for Liam to scratch his belly. When Liam found his tickle spot, Harry began kicking his foot out like a dog. 

It was somewhat cute, but then Liam remembered the situation he was in. Maybe if he could tie Harry down, then he could change him back to normal. Sadly, he couldn’t reach any vines and he knew any sudden movement would spook Tarzarry. 

Harry soon fell asleep, curled up at the injured boy’s feet. His little snores made Liam smile. 

From the distance, he saw Niall making his way towards him carrying an armful of the purple fruit and a couple bananas. Liam signaled for the blond to be quiet which thankfully he listened too. 

He pulled Niall down and whispered in his ear “get some vine, so we can tie Harry down.” When Niall gave a confused glance he added “it is part of the competition, remember?” The blond silently nodded his head and slipped off. 

He returned a short time later with long strands of vine. Liam pulled on the vine to see how sturdy they were. The ones that passed the inspection were tied around the sleeping Harry’s ankles and the tree that provided Liam with shade. Now he couldn’t escape.

Liam would force him to only eat the bananas, and he would do the same for Niall. 

“Hey Niall” Liam called out. He received a harsh glance, and realized his mistake. “I mean Michael. The TV show added a new rule, where we can’t eat the purple fruit anymore.”

“I don’t believe you” the blond spat, standing up. The loud noise had woken up Tarzarry, where he began to figure out his leg was restricted. “I talked to the producers, and they told me you were lying to me the whole time.” The blond gave his friend a betrayed look. “I trusted you.”

“Niall, I explain.”

“My name is Michael” the blond screamed. “Just leave me alone, Liam. I hate you.”

Liam watched in horror as his boyfriend ran off. “Come back” he yelled, hoping it would work. It was times like these, that Liam wished his leg weren’t broken. If it wasn’t he could have solved this problem days ago.

A whimper from Harry tore the injured boy’s attention away from Niall. “Hey Tarzarry” Liam cooed, not wanting to scare the dirty lad. “Do you want something to eat?” Tarzarry gave a small nod, making his curls bounce around. 

Luckily for Liam, he had more than enough water and food to last the boys until morning. Hopefully by then, Harry would be back to normal. 

Unpeeling the banana, Liam handed it to his boyfriend, who gladly accepted the food. 

The rest of the night was spent like that, with Harry whimpering whenever he wanted something. By the time the sun set, Tarzarry was fast asleep. Liam crossed his fingers that he would have his boyfriend back in the morning. 

When Liam opened his eyes the next day, he came face to face with Harry. “Please tell me you are back to normal?” Liam begged.

“I think I am. Can you define what your definition of normal is?” Harry responded, with a smile on his face. That was the answer the injured boy needed to hear, as he pulled his boyfriend in for a hug. The two embraced for a couple moments before Harry said “as much as I love this moment, I do have some questions. Where are my clothes? Why am I tied up? And where are the others?” 

Liam quickly retold the events of the past few days, and Harry couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Are you telling me, I thought I was Tarzan?”

“Yea, pretty much.”

“And now Louis wants to kill you.”

“Seems like it.”

Harry threw his head back and laughed. “Why do all the weird stuff always happen to us?

“I don’t know, but we need to fix it before any of the lads get hurt. Right now, I am worried about Zayn. I haven’t seen, or heard from him for like 2 days now.”

Harry paced around. “I’ll search for him, but first I need to find my clothes. Do you happen to know where I put them?”

“Sadly I have no idea. I just woke up one morning and you were wearing a leaf over your you know what.”

“Oh god Liam stop acting like a child. You have seem my penis countless times.”

“You can borrow my shirt if you want.”

“As much as I would love to put on your sweaty shirt, I’m going to pass.” He tried to remeber where he put his clothes and the best guess he could come up with was somewhere in the woods. He decided to look for his clothes while also searching for his missing boyfriend. He worried “I don’t want to leave you, Liam. What if something happens to you when I leave?”

“I’ll be fine. I am more worried for you actually.”

“Don’t be” Harry said, smiling. 

“Bring Zayn back and your clothes” Liam requested. 

“I will” Harry promised, before skipping off to begin his search. 

Things were beginning to turn around, and Liam couldn’t be happier. Now that he had Harry back, nothing could stop him from helping the other lads. 

As Harry traveled further into the woods, the denser the trees got. At the bottom of one of the trees sat his clothes. He jumped up and down in relief and proceeded to do a happy dance. Slipping on his clothes, Harry continued on his search for Zayn.

When he was about to give up in the area he was in, he heard voices in the distance. He hid in the treeline, to see what exactly was going on.

There he saw Zayn standing behind a boulder, with a smile plastered on his face. Around his ring finger was a tied piece of grass.

After making sure the coast was clear, he made his way over to Zayn. When he got into the boy’s eyesight Zayn greeted him by saying “welcome to Tainted Towers Hotel.”

“Zayn, I’m here to take you back to Liam.”

“I don’t want to go back. I am happy here at the hotel and being married to Peter. He loves me very much.”

“You’re married” Harry exclaimed, now finally understanding why Zayn had grass around his ring finger.

“Oh no he’s coming” Zayn warned. “You need to hide.”

The curly haired boy did as he was told and hid behind a nearby tree. He knew Peter couldn’t hurt him but he didn’t want to disobey Zayn.

“Hi Peter” Zayn whispered. “I thought you were on your break.”

“I was, but I missed you too much so I decided to come see you” Peter responded, kissing his husband on the cheek. “And I also saw you talking to someone. Do we have a new customer?”

“No” Zayn answered, a little too quickly.

Peter frowned, “I know you are lying. Where did the boy go?”

“He went back to the beach.”

“Why did he leave?”

“I don’t know.”

Finally Harry came out from hiding. “There is the boy” Peter said, once he saw Harry.

“Please don’t do anything to him” Zayn begged. “Not like what we do to other guests. He doesn’t need to stay forever.”

“Fine” Peter grumbled “but only because I love you.”

“I love you too Peter.” Zayn’s husband stood behind Zayn as Harry walked over.

“Hello sir and how long do you wish to stay with us” Zayn questioned, once Harry walked up to the front desk aka the boulder.

“I’m here to stay for a week, as is my other friend Liam.”

“Would you like a single or double bedroom?”

“Single is fine.”

“Let me warn you in advance our water system is a bit broken.”

“May I ask where you got the name Tainted Towers and what is wrong with your water system?”

Peter stepped forward to answer this question. “Tainted Towers is named after my great great Uncle Harkon Ravenport. He got the nickname Tainted because he used to hide bodies in the water container, thus making the water red. That doesn't happen anymore, as far as I know. If guests ask, we can all assume it's just cherry soda” he described with a smile on his face. Peter went back to the employee room after his speech. He needed a soda to quench his thirst and preferably a root beer. 

Harry stared at Zayn, waiting for him to answer his question. What he received was an uncomfortable silence and Zayn looking at an imaginary person behind him. “So do you still wish to stay at our hotel?” Zayn asked, acting like there wasn’t a long pause.

“Sure” Harry replied in a weired out tone. “But I need help getting Liam to the hotel. “I came here to ask if you could help me carry Liam, since his leg is broken.”

“Let me just ask my boss and husband if it is okay to go?” 

“Sure go right ahead.”

Zayn turned around and walked back to the employee room. “Peter, I need to go help Harry get his friend Liam. They both want to stay at the hotel. Is that okay?” 

“That’s fine” Peter responded, not looking up from the manga he was reading. Before Zayn left though, Peter whispered sexilly “you’re like my little toe, because I’m going to bang you on every piece of furniture in my hotel.”

“Thank you, I guess” Zayn shrugged, not sure on how to even respond to that statement. 

Harry and Zayn walked back to the beach in silence. “It has been 20 years, since I last saw Liam. I feel like his leg is always broken, whenever I see him.”

“So how did you and Peter meet?” Harry questioned, knowing he would laugh at whatever Zayn would say.

“Well one day I checked into his hotel, and Peter wouldn’t let me out of his sight. He continued to use crappy pick up lines on me, until I finally gave in and went out with him. By the time I was supposed to check out, I couldn’t leave him. So I stayed with Peter, and we got engaged and then a couple months later we were married. We honeymooned inside the hotel and have never left it.”

When Zayn finished his tale, the two boys had reached the beach. Liam looked up and smiled at the lads. Zayn leaned down to pick up the injured boy, when Harry tackled him to the ground. Together Harry and Liam tied up Zayn’s leg with the vine that just yesterday held back Harry. 

Zayn thrashed around, trying to free himself from the vine. Just as he got close to escaping the vine, Harry tied up his hands. “Sorry” he said, once he finished triple knotting it. 

“You need to let me go. If you don’t Peter is going to kill you, and leave your bodies in the water tank.”

“Your husband isn’t real” Liam corrected. “I promise in the morning, we will let you go and everything will become clear.”

“You’ll be dead by the time morning comes around” Zayn huffed, wishing he could cross his arms.

Harry fed the tied up boy a banana and gave him sips of water all throughout the night. “In the morning, you will feel a lot better” Harry promised. “Now go to sleep.”

Zayn grew tired of arguing with the two lads, and finally closed his eyes. 

The next day when Zayn finally decided to wake up, because he loves sleeping in, Harry and Liam were in the middle of breakfast. “Morning sleeping beauty” Harry sassed, sticking out his tongue.

“What happened?” Zayn asked, not being able to recall anything. “Why am I tied up?”

Liam and Harry both glanced at each other, before Liam caught Zayn up on everything. 

After he finished the story, Zayn’s mouth was hanging open. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “And Louis and Niall are still acting crazy, because of the fruit.”

“Yes and I have no idea where they are” Liam added, in between bites of his breakfast.

“Well that is helpful” Harry joked. “Maybe since Louis is your arch nemesis, he will come looking for you. Then we just tie him to the tree, and wait for the fruit to leave his system.”

“There is one slight problem with that plan though.”

“And what’s that?” Harry asked, turning to where the voice was coming from. He turned and saw Louis leaning against a tree behind the group.

The villain smiled “the problem is I heard your whole plan. Liam, it seems as though you have gathered the avengers. I’m glad, now when we fight it will be a lot more interesting.”

“Louis, please listen to us, you are acting crazy. If you stay with us, we can make you better” Harry pleaded, taking a step forward.

“Stay back” Louis screamed, picking up his pointy stick. He scanned around the area and soon realized the blond one was missing. An evil smirk formed on his face. “Where is your sidekick?”

“Don’t Louis” Liam begged. He turned to Zayn and yelled “get him.”

Harry and Zayn stood up and ran after Louis. The villain though, was too first and quickly disappeared from sight. 

The lads returned to the injured boy out of breath and sweaty. “We lost him” Zayn reported, trying to catch his breath. 

“This is bad” Liam fretted, running his hand through his air. “Louis thinks he is a supervillain and believes I killed his family. He isn’t thinking straight and I’m scared of what he is going to do to Niall if he finds him.” 

“Then we have to find Niall first” Zayn said, forming a fist with his hand.

“We can’t leave Liam alone either, though. What if Louis comes back, and we aren’t here to protect you” Harry speculated. 

Zayn cracked his knuckles. “Looks like it is settled then.”

“What is?” Liam asked, giving his boyfriend a weird look.

“I’ll carry you on my back, and then switch off this Harry.”

“Hey don’t volunteer me to carry Liam. He is huge, and will probably crush me” Harry disagreed.

“I take offense to that Styles” the injured boy growled. “I am not that big.” 

The tan skinned lad glared at Harry, until he finally agreed to the plan. Getting on the ground, Zayn allowed Liam to wrap his arms around his neck. Once Zayn believed the injured boy was secure enough, he stood up. “Wow, you are heavy” Zayn commented, when he felt the boy’s full weight.

“You guys are totally helping my self esteem right now” Liam said, his voice laced with sarcasm. 

The search in the jungle was long and tiring. It was mostly because none of the lads knew where to look. None of them were expert trackers, so they just kinda guessed which way to go. 

After hours of looking around, Zayn was beginning to grow tired. Sweat poured down his face and ran straight into his eyes. “I need a break” he called out, dropping Liam onto the ground.

“Ouch” Liam cried, when his butt hit the ground. “Next time, why don’t you break my other leg.”

Zayn choose to roll his eyes, instead of replying. He wanted to conserve his energy. “Harry, how about you climb up the tree and check the surroundings out. Maybe you can find Niall.”

“Why do I have to do?” Harry whined, not in the mood to climb a tree. He was much too lazy.

“Do I have to do everything?” Zayn snapped. “I literally just carried Liam this whole time, and you don’t hear me complaining.” 

“That is true” Harry agreed, standing up. He began to climb the tree without whining. 

When he reached the top, he looked in all directions. Just as he was about to give up, he caught a glimpse of familiar blond hair. 

Niall was not too far away. He was chilling on top of rock that was in the middle of a stream. As he went to climb down, in the distance he saw Louis creeping up on the blond.

Without thinking Harry screamed out “run Niall.” The blond sat up startled, looking around to try, and find where the voice had come from. 

“My name is Michael” the blond yelled, in reply with a sassy tone. 

Now that Niall was sitting up, he had a better look at his surroundings. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Louis. Shrieking in surprise, the blond jumped off the rock and ran to the other side of the stream. 

Louis darted forward producing his stick, which was a lot more sharper and might actually do some damage. “Is this part of the show?” Niall questioned. “I don’t remember reading about this in the contract.”

“Liam took everything from me, so now I will take everything from him, and that starts with you” Louis roared, his eyes looking menacingly. 

Niall backed up slowly, tripping over a tree root. “Liam and I aren’t even friends anymore.”

“Doesn’t matter. He still cares about you” the villain barked, stepping forward into the stream.

The second Louis entered the stream, Niall took off running into the woods. He ran, praying he wouldn’t trip over anything. Luck seemed to be on his side, as he darted gracefully around the jungle.

What the blond didn’t expect was how fast Louis was. Even though, he had a head start the villain still caught up to him. Tackling the blond to the ground, both boys rolled around over leaves and roots.

Niall sported a nasty cut on the side of his head, where he hit the ground. Louis hovered on top of the blond, holding the stick over Niall’s heart. “Please don’t” the blond pleaded, tears forming in his eyes. 

Screaming a war cry, Louis went to stab the blond through the heart. Just as it touched his shirt, the villain was pushed off. Louis looked up with a venomous gaze to see it had been Zay who stopped him. “How dare you?” he spat. 

“How could you try and hurt Niall?” Zayn shot back, an angry scrowl forming on his face.

“Easily” Louis breathed out, charging towards Zayn.

What Louis failed to see behind him was Harry, who was carrying a large branch. He smacked it against the back of Louis’s head, instantly knocking the boy out. “Well that could have gone better” Harry commented, taking in the scene around him.

“You think” Zayn mocked, bending down to check on Niall. 

The blond was unconscious as well, and Zayn was guessing it was because of the gash on his head. When they got back to the beach, Zayn was going to clean out the wound. “So how are we going to get Liam, Louis, and Niall back to the beach?” Harry questioned, knowing how hard it was going to be. 

“By the way, where is Liam?” Zayn questioned, looking around.

Harry thought about it for a moment and answered “I dropped him, when I ran over to help you.”

“Nice.”

From the distance they heard Liam yell “is everybody alive?”

“Yea” Zayn called back “but when Louis wakes up, I’m going to kick his ass.”

“Good to know. Also when you get the chance, can you punch Harry for me? He dropped me on my bad leg” the injured boy requested. 

Zayn turned to face Harry. “Just following orders” he said, before lightly punching his boyfriend in the shoulder.

After retrieving Liam, the lads had to think of a way to get back to the beach in one trip. Finally it was decided Harry would carry Louis on his shoulder, and Zayn would carry Liam bridal style and Liam would in turn be holding the blond on top of him. “I hope you can take all that weight” Liam observed, as Zayn picked him.

“It’s not like we have any other options. I’ll just have to suck it up.”

The walk back was long and tedious, filled with lots of grunts and groans from Zayn with a few curses here and there. Harry tried picking paths that were easy to walk on with not many hills or tree roots. Zayn’s arms felt like jelly, as they neared the beach.

By the time they arrived back, the sun was setting. Zayn tried to gently put Liam on the ground, but his arms gave out resulting in Liam falling a couple feet with Niall on top of him. 

“Get him off of me” Liam breathed out, trying to hold in the pain, when all he really wanted to do was scream in agony. Niall landed roughly on his leg during the fall.

Harry obliged placing Louis on the sand softly, and lifting up Niall. He then proceed to tie the vine around both of them. 

Liam sucked in his breath, trying to ignore the pain. He clutched the sand and waited for the wave of pain to fade away. When it finally did, he questioned “what happened back there?” 

“Louis tried to kill Niall, and he got very close. If Zayn hadn’t gotten there when he did, then things would have ended badly” Harry answered, giving Liam some water.

“When Louis wakes up, he is dead” Zayn threatened, staring straight at the unconscious boy.

“He won’t remember what he did” the injured boy scolded. “You will just make him feel guilty.”

“He will remember though, because I am starting too” Zayn responded. “Little bits and pieces of these past couple of days have been coming back to me. I bet by tomorrow, I will remember everything I did.”

“Same goes for me” Harry agreed, patting Liam on the head. “I am starting to recall the memories of me acting like a monkey.”

Glancing over at the two unconscious boys, Zayn sighed. He decided to check over their injuries, to make sure they would be okay.

Looking over Louis, he saw a small bump on his head from where Harry hit him with a stick. On the blond was a large cut that had yet to be cleaned out. Zayn grabbed the nearest water bottle and poured it over the wound, washing all the sand and dirt out. 

He tore off a piece of his shirt and gently wrapped in around Niall’s face, to stop the cut from bleeding. Once he was content with his work, Zayn went back over to Liam and Harry. 

“Do you think we will ever be rescued?” Zayn asked, sitting down.

“Of course, we will” Liam promised, nuzzling himself against his worried boyfriend. 

After eating dinner, the three boys called it a night and snuggled up together. They hoped in the morning Niall and Louis would be back to normal.

In the middle of the night, Harry woke up to the sounds of a helicopter. Sitting up, he caught glimpse of the spotlights going over the ocean. Soon they landed on the island and stopped, when the light hit the boys.

As the helicopter got closer, the sound became louder waking up Liam and Zayn. “Well that was fast” Zayn yelled over the loud winds. 

The helicopter landed blowing the lads hair around. When the spinners turned off, two men emerged from the helicopter. “Are you One Direction?” they asked.

All the three boys could do was nod their head dumbfoundedly. The rescuers walked closer and told them that two more copters were coming as well. They questioned why two of them were tied up, but the lads were too tired and shocked to explain. 

On one of the other helicopters had a doctor on board, who would be checking up on the lads. When it landed a lady came darting out, wearing a long white lab coat. 

She quickly saw the two unconscious boys, and went over to them first. Two other men followed her off the copter and she ordered them to take Niall and Louis back to the helicopter.

After looking over Harry and Zayn, she decided they were healthy enough to ride in a separate copter. Liam on the other hand would ride with her, so she could properly look at his leg.

Zayn was reluctant to leave Liam, but after much arguing he climbed in the other copter with Harry. “You have to tell me if anything happens” Zayn told Liam.

“I will” the injured boy promised, knowing how worried Zayn was. 

In the copter, Liam explained to the doctor what had happened on the island. He described the fruit, and how it made the lads act differently. Then he explained how Louis and Niall received their injuries. 

By the time the boy finished his tale, the doctor was left speechless. “You buys had quite an adventure” she laughed, looking over at the sleeping lads. “At least you guys are safe now, and away from that horrible fruit. I can assure you that your friends will be alright. They will probably be waking up soon.”

Liam reported the information the doctor told him back to Zayn and Harry. They were beyond thrilled to hear their boyfriends would be alright.

As the injured boy was getting a cast on his leg, Niall woke up. He woke up startled and sat up a little too quickly. A wave of dizziness hit him, as he leaned back down onto the bed. He turned his head frantically, trying to figure out where he was. 

When he caught site of Louis, panic began to set it. “Niall, you’re fine” Liam promised, getting the boy’s attention. “We have been rescued from the island. Right now you are in a helicopter, and we are heading back to England.” 

The doctor added “you need to stop moving around so much, sweety. You have quite a nasty cut on your head that needs to be stitched up.”

Nodding his head, the blond tried to remember what actually had happened. “Liam, where are Zayn and Harry? How did I get hurt?”

“Zayn and Harry are perfectly fine. They are in the helicopter behind us. As for why you are hurt, that is a long story.”

“Looks like we have time.”

Taking a deep breath, Liam retold the events that had led up to their rescue. Niall laughed loudly, when Liam finished his story. “You’re telling me I was talking with an Australian accent?” the blond said chuckling. Liam nodded his head which made Niall laugh even more. “Of course it would be us to eat the weird fruit, that would make us act crazy. I can’t believe I thought I was Michael. Wait till I tell him, he is going to die.” 

A groan from Louis, alerted both lads that he was starting to wake up. Once he realized he was in a helicopter, he put his hand up and said “I don’t even want to know.”

That made Niall laugh even more, which resulted in him groaning from his head injury. “How did you get hurt?” Louis asked, turning towards the blond.

A guilty look flashed across Niall’s face. He debated on whether he should tell him the truth. The silence and sad look from the blond gave his answer away. “It was me, wasn’t it?” Louis sighed in shame. “It is official, I am the worst boyfriend ever.”

Before Louis could bash himself anymore, he was shushed by Niall. “I don’t blame you. None of us could control ourselves. Listen to Liam, and you will understand everything.”

Louis huffed, he wanted to blame himself. He didn’t need any excuses for his actions. He should have been strong enough to control himself. Liam explained the purple fruit to Louis, and described what happened after everybody ate it. Once he finished, Louis smiled. “I feel somewhat better” he confessed. “But I am sorry, Niall. I want you to know, I would never hurt you.”

“I know” the blond replied, taking hold of Louis’s hand. They held hands for duration of the helicopter flight.

When they landed, the boys were happily reunited. There were many hugs and kisses between the boyfriends. They were given a week off to try and heal the best they could, before the tour started back up again.

“I don’t think I want to go on a plane ever again” Louis joked, after all the lads piled into the car. They were heading to the nearby hotel to rest.

“I second that” Zayn added, snuggling against Louis’s chest. 

Liam closed his eyes and smiled. His boys were safe and sound, and that was all he could hope for. He couldn't wait to spend a week with them, where they weren’t acting crazy. 

Soon all the lads fell asleep cuddled up against each other. Liam couldn’t wait to tell them about all the stupid things, they did while they were under the influence of the purple fruit. He had yet to tell Zayn about his husband.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off I would like to apologize for not updating in like forever. I would also like to say I'm sorry for this terrible one-shot. I know it isn't any good but I hope you guys still enjoyed it. 
> 
> Do you want more or less Peter? Cause like he could be a character that makes cameos in future one shots. But it is really up to you guys. 
> 
> Also shameless self promoting because I can. If you like the ship Nouis then you should totally check out my Nouis story called Star Crossed. I plan on writing a book for every ship with Niall. Ziall shall be the next one. So follow me if you want to be notified when I post the story.


	23. Growing Apart

It happened almost overnight, Niall recalled. The lads had all decided to take a year break from One Direction, and at first it seemed like a great idea. All the concert and press tours had exhausted the boys, and pushed their relationship to the brink. It got so bad that Zayn left the band. A break was something they all desperately needed. 

What Niall didn’t expect was how quick him and lads would grow apart. The first one to stop texting and calling was Zayn. He had a new image to convey, and didn’t want to be associated with the boys anymore. He wanted to have a mature audience for his edger songs, and being with One Direction would have made him seem like a kid. Niall understood his boyfriend’s reasoning, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. After Zayn released his new album, he cut off all communication with the boys.

The next to disappear was Harry. At first he was busy filming a new war movie, so it made sense that he didn’t have time to call Niall. But then the movie wrapped, and Harry began working on his own solo album. Days would go by where the Niall would not hear from his boyfriend. Niall didn’t even know Harry recorded an album until he announced it on twitter. He swore his heart broke a little when he read the tweet. 

Liam was the next one to ditch the relationship. Everytime Niall would call, Liam would have conveniently misplaced his phone. The gym and club became Liam’s life, as he made up for lost time. He could stay up all night and party without having to worry about the repercussions. He didn’t want to think about his responsibilities or relationship, Liam wanted to be free.

Louis held out the longest, trying to keep in constant contact with the boys. The calls from him became less frequent when the others wouldn’t pick up. Louis was not going to be the only one who put an effort into the relationship. If the others weren’t going to call him, then why should he. His last call was to Niall, telling him he needed a break from everybody. 

To say Niall was heartbroken was an understatement. All those promises of staying together as a band and as boyfriends were lies. It hurt to even think about it. Those weeks without the boys took its toll on Niall. He hid in his house and watched sports all day. He hardly went outside, and his family grew worried for his health. 

Music was what saved Niall from truly spiralling down the wrong path. Through music he could express his feelings, and not feel so alone. When he had the guitar in his hand, he felt like he was back with One Direction. 

He was beyond surprised when his single This Town took off on the music chart. He always assumed he was the fans least favorite member of the group, but the amount of support his song received disproved that theory. The press tour took Niall’s mind off of his loneliness. The empty void in his heart was partially filled for the time being. 

The other lads each released solo songs as well. Niall loved each of their songs with all his heart. He played them everyday, excited to hear their beautiful voices. He made sure to text them about how much he loved their songs. In return he got nothing about his song, which was disappointing. All he ever received were some supportive tweets from the lads. 

The first time Niall performed solo, he almost walked off stage. It didn’t feel right being all alone on the stage. The spotlight was way too bright, and he hated that everyone's eyes were on him. If he screwed up he would have no one to fall back on. He pushed through it though, and sang his heart out. He left everything on the stage, his heartache and longing to be held by his boyfriends. 

He hit his first performance out of the park and the world was blown away by him. He rose to fame without his boyfriends and it felt strange. The phone calls came in to have him in the iheartmusic festival and award shows. Niall was honored to even be considered to perform on those stages. He gladly accepted any invitation he received, proving once again that he had real talent. 

The interviews were also more intense, before he could joke around with the lads. Now he had to answer very question by himself without his band by his side. Everytime One Direction was brought up in the interview which happened quite a lot, would cause Niall to flinch. They all asked the same question are you guys getting back together. 

When the break first happened Niall could confidently say yes, him and the lads were going to get back together. Now he wasn’t so sure, he couldn’t even remember the last time he spoke to his boyfriends. 

He stared blankly at himself in the mirror, scrolling through twitter on his phone. Twitter was the place he could keep tabs on his bandmates and see what they have been up too. He felt humiliated having to be like fangirl, stalking the boys on twitter, but it was the only way to see what they were up to. 

Nothing new was posted on their accounts at the time, so Niall closed out of the app. He brushed his hair once more, before getting up from the chair. On the table sat his hat, which he carefully put on his head not wanting to disrupt his newly brown hair. 

Quietly, he shut the dressing room door and made his way down the hallway. He waved at Katy Perry, who was finishing up with her make-up. “Good luck out there” she called out to him staring at him through the mirror. “I heard the crowd is pretty huge out there. I am so happy the crowd wasn’t scared away from coming.” 

Niall thanked her and wished her good luck as well. On the way to the stage, he passed by Justin Bieber strumming his guitar. The singer looked deep in concentration so Niall kept walking. He would talk to him after the concert was over. 

The screams became louder the closer Niall got to the stage. His guitar was leaning up against the wall where he left it after rehearsal. He picked it up and strapped it around himself.

Ariana Grande ran over to him engulfing him in a huge hug. “Thank you so much for singing at the Manchester Concert” she thanked, a hint a sadness in her voice. “I know you are going to do great.”

“There is nothing that could stop me from being at the concert. We will not let the terrorist win” Niall responded, breaking away from the embrace. As much as he wanted to break down in tears about the horrible event that happened only weeks ago, he didn’t. Today’s concert was meant to be hopeful, he needed to make these people smile.

He gave Ariana a smile, before walking out on stage to the screams of the fans. His performance went by without a hitch and he felt great. The best he had felt in a long time. For those short moments he wasn’t thinking about the lads or how shitty the world had become. 

After the concert, Niall rode back to the hotel. It was quiet in the car and Niall held his phone against his chest. He hoped his performance would cause at least one of the lads to call or text him. He wanted them to be proud of him. 

No call came for the duration of the car ride and the boy bit back disappointment. The hotel was fairly nice, but somehow word had gotten out that he was staying in it. The room he was currently staying in was being swarmed by fans, and more were coming by the minute. 

All he wanted was a quiet night to relax. But the screams in the hotel lobby and hallways were giving him a major headache. 

He rang the front desk and asked the hotel manager if is was possible to switch rooms. Maybe it would have been smarter to change hotels, but Niall was tired and just wanted to sleep his sadness away. 

“We have an opening on the top floor” Peter the hotel manager responded.

“Is anything being done to get all the fans out of the hotel.”

“I have called the police, they will be arriving shortly to escort the girls out.” 

“How can I change rooms without all the fans seeing me?”

Peter took a deep breath and said “I have an idea.”

“What is it?”  
“In order to sneak up you to your new room I will have you dress up and pretend to be my wife.”

“No, there must be a better way.”

“Listen Niall you aren’t my cup of tea either. I prefer the perfect Zayn Malik over you, but this is the only way. No one would suspect my wife.”

“Are you even married?”

“No, which makes this even more believable.”

Niall was beyond the point of arguing and eventually just agreed to the crazy man’s plan. The only positive he could see from this situation was he would have a funny story to tell the lads if he ever spoke to them again. 

A knock on the door interrupted the boy from his thoughts. He looked through the peephole and saw the creepy smile of Peter the hotel manager. He held a bag of clothes and a long brown wig. 

In the bag was a long yellow sundress with a pair of high heeled boots. Niall did not have the courage to ask where the man got the clothes. As he went to take off his shirt, he saw Peter was watching him. “Can you give me some privacy?” Niall requested, staring at the man.

“Don’t worry you aren’t my type. I go for people named Zayn Malik.”

“Fuck it” Niall said, taking off his shirt and throwing on the dress. Peter helped zip up the back and gave the blond a pair of sunglasses to hide his face. The man offered to put on some makeup on Niall’s face, but the boy declined. Once the outfit was complete Niall couldn’t help but laugh. He looked ridiculous, but the fans would not recognize him. 

They got to the top floor without a hitch. Peter promised to have the rest of Niall’s stuff be sent up in the morning, when everything calmed down. 

The new room was smaller than the old one, but Niall didn’t care. A tiredness swept over him, as he entered the room. He flopped down on the bed, kicking off the boots. The dress was difficult to get off, but he managed to do it. When the wig successfully left his head, he laid on the bed and went to sleep. Never once did his phone ring that night. 

*********

Harry shut off his television after Niall finished performing at the One Love Manchester concert. His boyfriend, if they were still dating because Harry wasn’t sure, looked and sounded great. Harry couldn’t have been more proud. His heart swelled when he heard him sing his own original song. It reminded him of the songwriting days with the other lads. 

He got up from the couch and went into the bathroom, turning on the water in the bath tub. The warm water helped relax the boy, as he washed away all the troubles from the day. He lost track of time in the bathroom, just enjoying the warmth and quiet. This luxury was something he rarely experienced.

The buzzing of his phone brought him back to reality. Pressing the unlock button he saw he had over 10 calls from his mom and text from his sister telling him to turn on the news. He put on his robe and headed back out to the den. The second he flipped on the TV, Harry felt his heart drop. 

The news reporter was describing another terrorist attack in England. Harry couldn't understand why his mom and sister felt the need to call him over the attack. He was about to redial his mom when the reporter said the one thing Harry never wanted to hear. “We just received word that Niall Horan was staying at the hotel that was bombed only minutes ago.”

The phone fell from Harry’s grasp as he turned the volume all the way up on the TV. The reporter continued “so far all we know is the bomber went up to the fourth floor of the five story hotel and detonated the bomb. We have no idea how many people were in the blast zone of the bomb.”

The screen cut away to a group of teenage girls crying. The interviewer asked them if they were staying at the hotel. “No” the one girl answered, fighting back tears. “We found out that Niall was staying here so we tried to meet him.” She paused for a second, wiping the tears falling down from her face. “He was staying on the fourth floor.”

Harry’s heart dropped and a sob left his mouth. He blacked out for a couple seconds and when he came to, he was clutching his cell phone in his hand. With tears in his eyes, he called Niall’s phone. It went straight to voicemail, so Harry called the next best thing, one of his boyfriends. He didn’t look to see which one he was calling, it didn’t matter. 

“Harry?” Louis asked in a confused voice. “Why are you calling me?”

All Harry could do was cry into the phone. He could form no words, all he felt was panic. “What’s wrong?” Louis questioned, concern creeping in his voice. “You’re starting to scare me.”

“Niall….hotel….bomb” was all Harry could say, before he sobbed uncontrollably. 

Louis sat up in bed and turned on the lights. Grabbing the remote, he turned on the news and instantly understood what Harry was crying about. “Oh my god” he muttered, his hands beginning to shake in panic. “This can’t be happening” he said to himself, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. 

All Louis could see was fire on the video. Everybody was in a panic and no one in the crowd looked anything like his Niall. He searched for the familiar blond hair of Niall, but it dawned on Louis that Niall was no longer blond. 

Rational thought left Louis. He had no idea how to comfort Harry, and just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. “Do Zayn and Liam know?” he managed to croak out.

“You were the first one I called” Harry hiccuped, barely able to form the words. “Louis, I don’t want to be alone right now.”

“We are in two separate countries right now. I am pretty close to Manchester, I am going to drive over to the hospital and try to find Niall. Call Liam, he’s probably still in America.”

“Keep me updated. I’ll fly down when I get the chance.”

Neither boy said goodbye, they both just hung up. Harry took several deep breaths to calm his shaking body. When he deemed himself calm enough, he called up Liam. Unlike Louis who was half asleep when Harry called, Liam seemed to be in a club.

The loud noise blared through the phone, making it difficult for the boys to understand each other. “Hello” Liam yelled into the phone. “I think you may have butt dialed me, Harry.”

“Go somewhere quiet” Harry requested, his tone serious, which worried Liam. He knew Harry never got that serious unless something was wrong. 

The club music grew quiet, and Harry assumed the boy had walked down the street. “What’s wrong?” Liam asked quietly, scared to know the answer. 

“Are you still in Los Angeles?”

“Harry, you are really scaring me right now. Tell me what is wrong.”

Instead the boy sent his address and told Liam to come over. Turns out they weren’t that far apart. The car ride took about 10 minutes, where Liam speculated what could possibly be wrong. He left the radio off, enjoying the silence. The loud music from the club made his ears ring in irritation.

Pulling up to the apartment, Liam was surprised to see Harry waiting out on the curb with a bag of clothes. Before he could ask any questions, Harry threw his bag in the back and climbed into the front seat. “Drive to the airport, now” Harry ordered, his voice shaky from what Liam assumed was crying. 

“No” Liam responded, putting the car in park. “I want some goddamn answers before we go anywhere.” He flicked on the light and gasped at how horrible Harry looked. His eyes were red from crying and dried up tears covered his rosy cheeks. The boy’s hair was stuck up in a million directions and his breaths were shallow. 

“A bomb went off at the hotel Niall was staying in, and I have idea if he is alive” Harry cried out, new tears forming in his eyes. “We need to go to Manchester and meet up with Louis at the hospital.”

At first Liam didn’t believe Harry, he thought it was all a big joke. But the thought quickly left him, when Harry started sobbing against his chest. “I can’t even remember the last time I talked to Niall” Harry admitted in between sobs. “He probably thinks I hate him.” 

Liam switched into boyfriend mode, wrapping his arms around Harry. He rocked his boyfriend back and forth, suddenly realizing how much he missed the lads. “We all grew apart, but Niall could never think you hated him. We all loved each other.”

“Then why haven’t we spoken since the break? Are we even still together?”

“Of course we are” Liam soothed, gently running his hands through Harry’s hair. “I still love you guys with all my heart and just because we didn’t talk as much did not mean I ever stopped loving you.” Liam whispered other calming things to Harry to make him stop sobbing. He promised once Harry calmed down, they would head over to the airport. 

The airport was dead because of how late it was. Both boys wore a hoodie to hide their identities, but no one paid them any mind. All the tv’s in the airport talked about the hotel bombing, each giving a different number of casualties. Liam told Harry to block out the news, they needed to stay positive in such a troubling time. 

Their flight wasn’t for another two hours, so Liam made Harry take a short nap. Once his boyfriend finally fell asleep, Liam called Louis. “Have you found out anything?” he asked the second Louis picked up the phone.

Liam could barely hear Louis’s reply. “The hospital is crazy right now. Nobody is telling me anything.”

“Has anyone called Zayn yet?”

“I don’t know” Louis responded. “I haven’t talked to him since he left the band.”

“I guess I’ll call him.”

“Why? It’s not like he cares. Is he ever part of the relationship still?”

“None of us have talked in these past few months, Louis. You can’t talk your anger out on Zayn. We are all frustrated and were bad boyfriends, but we are still part of this relationship. And right now our concern and attention should be on Niall.”

It was silent for a couple seconds. “You’re right” Louis sighed, “I’m just worried. Please get here soon.”

Liam promised he would, then he hung up and called Zayn. With each ring, Liam grew madder and madder. How could he let himself grow as far apart from his boyfriends. They were supposed to call each other and every night and meet up for dates. What had happened? 

The call eventually went to voicemail, so Liam assumed he was sleeping. As he went to put his phone away, the phone began to vibrate. 

He unlocked his phone and brought it up to his ear. “What the hell do you want Liam?”

“It’s Niall, he’s been involved in an attack. Harry and I are at the airport right now flying over to Manchester right now. Where are you?”

The line went dead and when Liam tried to call back the phone went straight to voicemail. Liam cursed under his breath, but there was nothing more he could do. Now he could turn his full attention to Niall.

On the intercom it was announced that Liam and Harry’s flight would start boarding. He shook Harry awake and the two boys made their way onto the flight. They sat together in first class, and luckily the flight was not crowded.

Liam turned off the lights and asked the flight attendants for a pillow and blanket. They handed over the desired items, and both boys fell into a restless sleep. Sleep was the only way to pass the time on the 10 hour flight. If they were awake, they would simply worry about Niall the whole time. 

*******  
The hospital was complete chaos with little to no order. Doctors and nurses were running around collecting new patients, determining whether they could be saved or not. Many people were at the hospital wanting to know the same thing as Louis. They wanted to know if their loved ones were okay. 

With so many people pestering the doctors, the hospital staff finally moved all the visitors to a special room. The room was white and filled with uncomfy chairs. Louis and the others were ordered to stay in there and out of the way of the doctors. In return the staff promised to tell them any news they found out of the people they were searching for. 

Louis sat in the corner of the room, hugging his knees against his chest. Unlike the other people in the room, Louis was alone. He had no family or friends with him. He cried silently to himself, praying that Niall would be okay. He swore that he would be a better boyfriend, and hoped he would be given the chance to prove himself.

In 10 hours, Harry and Liam would arrive and he would no longer be alone. But he couldn’t wait that long, his heart was breaking and he had no one to cry or talk too. 

The empty chair next to him was moved closer to Louis. The boy kept his head hidden, not looking up. He felt an arm wrap around his shoulder and pull him against the stranger’s chest. Looking up Louis was shocked to see it was Zayn. “I’m so glad you’re here” Louis admitted, smiling sadly.

“Of course I would come. You shouldn’t be here alone.”

“I thought you hated us. You never called” Louis cried, pulling away from Zayn’s embrace.

Zayn sighed and rested his head against the wall. “I know I didn’t call. I just wanted to see what it felt like to be alone. I spent so many years with you guys I forgot the feeling of being solo. I got so caught up in it, that I managed to forget you guys. I was a selfish idiot, and I know nothing can make up for it.”

“You’re here now, that counts for something” Louis responded, snuggling against Zayn’s chest. “We all neglected each other, and we all need to work to make the relationship work again.”

Zayn agreed, wiping away the tear from Louis’s cheek. “I love you” he whispered, softly kissing his lips. “Being here with you, reminds me of how much I missed you.”

The two used each other as support in their darkest hour. Time passed by slowly with doctors occasionally coming in and announcing someone’s named. The room dwindled down, leaving around 15 people in it. “Niall Horan” a voice announced, causing Louis and Zayn to jump up. “Please follow me” the nurse told them, leading them down a hallway. 

Instead of being taken to a hospital room they were escorted to two police officers. The lads were beyond confused and didn’t have time to ask any questions. “We need to have a chat with you boys” the one cop informed, indicating to an empty office.

In the office were two chairs and a large desk. “Please have a seat, you both must be very exhausted” the same officer said, going to the other side of the desk. His partner joined him, dragging in two other chairs. “What is your relation to Mr. Horan?”

“He is our boy..”

Zayn quickly interrupted Louis.”He is our friend and bandmate. He is practically family.” 

The cop nodded in understanding and made a note in his notebook. “What I am about to tell you is confidential, can you boys keep this a secret? I’d rather not have the press find out.” Zayn and Louis both promised to not tell. The cop continued “as you boys know Niall’s hotel was bombed. We believe the attacker targeted Niall because he performed at the Manchester concert. Somehow a fan discovered he was staying at that hotel and spread it around on twitter. The attacker found out and left a bomb on Niall’s floor.”

Louis leaned back in his chair in shock. He couldn’t believe somebody would want to hurt Niall. “Have you found Niall yet?” Zayn asked, grabbing Louis’s hand. 

“Unfortunately, we have not found him yet. The hotel collapsed during the explosion, he could buried alive beneath the rubble still.”

The other cop added “I promise we are doing everything we can to find him, and any other survivors.”

Tears streamed down Louis’s face as he and Zayn left the office. His hope of finding Niall alive was crushed. “Why didn’t I call him?” Louis sobbed, becoming overwhelmed with guilt. “I should have been with him. I knew he was performing and didn’t try to see him.”

Zayn stopped Louis in his tracks and pushed him against the wall. “Stop blaming yourself” Zayn commanded. “Putting yourself down will not help.”

“He’s dead Zayn, and we all ignored him for the past few months.”

“He can still be alive.”

“You believe whatever you want” Louis mumbled, walking away from Zayn. They silently went back to the waiting room, sitting in opposite corners of the room. In a few hours Harry and Liam would arrive and Louis would have to break the news to them. 

Eventually tiredness overtook Louis and he slumped over in his chair. His soft snores could be heard from across the room, but Zayn didn’t really mind. He headed over to the kitchen to grab some coffee and a bag of chips. Unlike Louis, he was not going to give up hope on Niall being alive. 

If he admitted Niall was dead, his heart would break. He would hold out hope until he sees his boyfriend’s body. The coffee tasted horrible, but it did its job. He was hit with a new energy, and was able to stay awake. Zayn would not sleep until he knew Niall’s fate.

His phone buzzed and he saw that Liam and Harry had landed. He felt nervous, he had not seen the lads since 2 months after he quit the band. He wondered if they would treat him differently.

The answer was revealed when Liam pulled him into a hug, with Harry joining him. They both admitted how much they missed Zayn, and Zayn couldn’t help but cry. He couldn’t remember why he stopped talking to them, but it didn’t matter. In that moment, he swore to never let them out of his sight again. In their embrace Zayn felt at home. The hole in his heart was filled with their love and all he needed was Niall to fill the missing piece. 

They sat opposite of Louis, who was still asleep, as Zayn told them what the cops had said. Harry released a loud sob when Zayn finished his tale. Liam comforted him, attempting to shush him. 

Zayn couldn’t help, but grow sad being with the lads. It saddened him that it took one of the lads getting hurt to reunite them. He wondered what would have happened if Niall was not involved in the explosion. Would the lads continue to grow apart or would they have finally talked? It was a scary thought, because Zayn already knew the answer.

The lads attempted to catch up on lost time, but their hearts weren’t into the conversation. Each of them kept glancing at the hallway, as if waiting for a doctor to come strolling in and telling them Niall was alive and fine.

As they talked, Zayn noticed doctors and nurses running up and down the hallways. Something had happened, and Zayn had to get to the bottom of it. He went to speak to one of the nurses when a gurney was pushed past him. 

His eyes glanced down, and Zayn instantly recognized the dirty body on the stretcher. “Niall” he gasped, trying to get a closer look. All he wanted to see was if his boyfriend was still breathing. “Is he alive?” he asked the nurse pushing the stretcher.

“Please move, sir” a doctor yelled. “We need to get him back to the operating room now. I will send a nurse to give you an update soon.” 

Zayn watched helplessly, as Niall was wheeled into the next room. All he wanted to know was if Niall was alive. He was so close, yet so far from his boyfriend. 

All the commotion forced Liam to leave the waiting room. “What happened?” he asked, rubbing his eyes tiredly. 

“They found Niall, he’s in the operation room.”

“He’s here” Liam yelled, turning towards the room. “Let’s go see him.”

“We have to wait till the doctors get us.”

Liam’s excitement faded away as quickly as it surfaced. “How did he look?” he questioned, his tone dark and filled with sadness. 

“Not good” Zayn answered honestly, there was no need in getting Liam’s hopes up. 

They went back in the waiting room, and woke up Louis. After the boy was awake and finally stopped hugging Harry, Zayn told them about what had happened in the hallway. Once the initial shock wore off, the lads were a mess.

The anticipation of Niall’s well being filled them with anxiety. At this moment Niall could be on the operating table dying. “At least they found him” Liam said trying to brighten the situation. “He must be alive if they are operating on him.”

Louis was to depressed to even respond. He stayed curled up in a bawl, not allowing anyone to touch him. His mind went blank and his breathing became panicked. Harry noticed his boyfriend’s behaviour and immediately recognized Louis was having a panic attack. 

Thinking quickly, Harry sat down next to Louis and begged him to breathe. “Please calm down Louis. Just breathe with me” Harry instructed, turning Louis’s head towards him. They both breathed in harmony, taking long and deep breaths. “I know you’re scared. I am too, but we need to be strong for Niall and the others.”

“I’ll try” Louis breathed out, his shaking seemed to have stopped and his breaths were less shallow. 

Zayn and Liam glanced at each other, both worried about Louis. He was the oldest and usually the strong one. They kept quiet, waiting for him to catch his breath.

Footsteps approached the doorway, and lads all looked up to see a nurse enter the waiting room. She pulled out a clipboard and called “Friends and family of Niall Horan.” The fours boys all stood up and surrounded the nurse. “Your friend is alive” she told them. All the lads felt a large weight leave their chest. “As you already know Niall was involved in an explosion, when the bomb went off Niall was buried in the rubble.”

“Why was he taken to surgery?” Liam asked interpreting the nurse.

“The doctors needed to remove the shrapnel in his chest. He was close enough to the bomb that pieces of it were shot into his chest. We also had to remove glass from his leg.”

“Other than that he is fine, right?” Liam fretted, just wanting to hear his boyfriend would live.

The nurse glanced down at the clipboard. “Niall will make a full recovery if that is what you are asking. He will just need time to heal. He has several broken bones and will need rest for the next few months.” The boys all hugged each other after hearing the news. Louis and Harry cried tears of happiness. “You boys are very lucky that Niall changed floors. If he hadn’t the blast would have killed him.” 

“How do you know he switched rooms?”

“The hotel manager Peter told the police when he was being interrogated. If you want I can take you to Niall’s room.” The lads all jumped at the chance to see Niall, and followed the nurse down the hallway. They followed her into an elevator and were taken to the fifth floor. As they got off, they were taken to Niall’s room.

It was quiet in there, except for the beeping of Niall’s heart monitor. “He should be waking up soon” she reported, checking Niall’s IV. “Press the red button if you need me.”

“Thank you” Louis told her as she was leaving the room. She smiled in reply and shut the door, giving the boys their much deserved privacy. 

Luckily for them there were four chairs in the room, the lads moved the chairs around the bed. Niall looked a lot better than when Zayn had saw him. He was clean of the debris, and was breathing just fine. He had some cuts over his face, but nothing too deep that would scar. Niall’s left foot and arm was wrapped in a white cast and he had a bandage on his chest. Other than that Niall was perfectly fine, which made Zayn relieved. 

Food was delivered to their room from the hospital cafeteria for the lads and Niall to eat. Liam and the others decided to wait for their boyfriend to wake up before they ate. They didn’t have to wait long, because Niall began to stir in his sleep.

His blue eyes opened, blinking several times to get used to the brightness in the room. When he saw the other lads his eyes went wide and his mouth hung open in shock. “You guys came” he croaked out, his throat dry and scratchy.

“Of course we would, we are your boyfriends” Harry responded, handing Niall a glass of water. 

Niall gladly took the glass and gulped down all the water. He cleared his throat, instantly sounding 10 times better. “I didn’t even think we were together anymore. We haven’t talked in months.”

Guilt overtook Louis as he started wailing. “I thought I wanted space from you guys, but I was wrong.”

Harry rubbed Louis’s back, attempting to calm him down. He didn’t want him to have another panic attack. “We took this relationship for granted. We were all so eager to take a break that we forgot about each other.”

The others nodded in agreement with Harry. They were still young adults, that had yet to experience life. Their days were always consumed with One Direction. When they received their freedom, the boys did everything they missed out on.

“If I hadn’t gotten hurt, we probably would have never gotten back together” Niall countered, still not convinced the lads were still in love with each other. 

“That is something we will never know. All I can really tell you was I was planning to come back to the band when our break was over. I never thought we broke up, I was just giving you some space to have fun with friends and family” Liam assured, squeezing Niall’s good hand.

The others all agreed except for Zayn. “I won’t lie, I thought when I left the band I left the relationship. I shouldn’t have cut you out of my life, but I was too focused on my new image. I wish I could go back in time and do it all differently. I hope you guys can all forgive me.”

“I was never mad at you in the first place” Niall said, smiling at his boyfriend. “You guys have no idea how great it feels to have everyone together again.”

“Well you will be seeing a lot more of us, since we are going to help you heal” Louis informed, wiping away his tears. 

“It seems our break will need to be extended” Harry joked, earning laughs from all the lads. 

Their relationship still needed a lot of work, but the lads weren’t going to give up on it. They wanted to make up for lost time. They swore to never fall out of touch again, which gave Niall a lot of relief. 

They promised to never take anything for granted again, because in a blink of an eye everything could change. Life is unpredictable, so the lads need to make every moment count.


End file.
